tihxaxy  of ^he  t:heolo0ical  ^emmarjp 

PRINCETON    .    NEW  JERSEY 
PRESENTED  BY 

The  Library 
of 
Benjamin  Breckinridge  War field 


EX    8063    .G4   W5    1896 
Williams,    Edward   F.    1832- 

1919. 
Christian   life   in  Germany 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://www.archive.org/details/christianlifeingOOwill 


CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

AS  SEEN  IN  THE 

STATE  AND  THE  CHURCH 


CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

AS  SEEN  IN  THE 

STATE  AND  THE  CHURCH 


BY  EDWARD  F.  WILLIAMS,  D.  D. 

Western  Editor  of  The  Congregationalist. 


FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  .-.  CHICAGO  .-.  TORONTO 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyrighted  1896,  by  Fleming  H.  Reveu  Company. 


PREFACE. 

The  number  of  English  speaking  youth  in  the 
Universities  and  Technical  Schools  in  Germany  is  in- 
creasing every  year.  It  is  interesting  to  know  what 
kind  of  religious  influences  are  within  their  reach  even 
if  in  their  student  life  they  do  not  yield  to  these  influ- 
ences. Great  Britain  and  America  owe  a  debt  of 
gratitude  to  Germany  for  the  literature  she  has  fur- 
nished their  people,  for  the  contributions  she  has 
made  to  Christian  song,  and  for  her  devotion  to 
higher  Christian  learning.  In  the  attention  given  to 
the  results  of  special  studies,  particularly  to  the  re- 
sults of  the  BO=called  Higher  Criticism,  both  countries 
are  in  danger  of  overlooking  equally  important  con- 
tributions in  practical  Christian  work.  Few  people 
either  in  Great  Britain  or  in  America  realize  the  ex- 
tent and  importance  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  work 
which  the  German  Churches  are  carrying  on,  or  of 
that  still  more  wonderful  home  work  which  is  em- 
braced under  the  general  term  Inner  Mission  (die 
innere  Mission). 

In  the  present  work  no  attempt  has  been  made  to 
describe  unchristian  Germany.  There  is  such  a 
Germany.  Some  of  its  features  are  necessarily 
sketched  in  this  volume.  No  special  emphasis  has 
been  laid  on  the  effect  of  critical  studies  on  Christian 
faith  and  life.  Not  much  has  been  said  about  the  rela- 
tion of  Church  and  State.    It  has  been  assumed  that 

6 


e  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GEttMANY 

one  familiar  with  tlie  blessings  which  grow  out  of  com- 
plete separation  between  Church  and  State  would 
recognize  the  difficulties  under  which  the  German 
Churches  exist,  and  make  allowance  for  them.  It  has 
been  assumed  also  that  anyone  who  might  be  inter- 
ested in  these  pages  would  be  familiar  with  the  fact 
that  the  Churches,  while  Lutheran  in  doctrine,  and 
enjoying  considerable  liberty  in  certain  directions, 
are  yet  closely  allied  to  the  State,  and  must  render 
their  final  reports  and  make  their  ultimate  appeals  to 
officers  whom  the  State  appoints.  The  purpose  of 
this  book  is  to  set  forth  in  as  few  words  as  possible, 
the  real  condition  of  the  Protestant  Churches  in 
Germany,  to  describe  their  present  spiritual  condi- 
tion, and  to  furnish  data  on  which  to  form  an  opinion 
of  their  probable  future.  What  is  here  said  is  the  re- 
sult of  careful  study  of  these  Churches  in  their  own 
land,  and  of  reports  which  those  who  are  familiar 
with  their  condition  have  made.  Loosely  defined,  the 
plan  of  the  book  may  be  said  to  be  fourfold:  first  to 
describe  some  of  the  methods  by  which  the  German 
people  are  trained  for  their  duties  in  Church  and 
State,  and  to  show  how  the  character  of  the  govern- 
ment, the  military  and  aristocratic  spirit  of  the  na- 
tion, affect  Christian  activity;  secondly  to  furnish 
material  for  determining  the  actual  condition  of  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  National  Churches  by  setting 
forth  in  some  detail  what  their  members  are  doing, 
through  Foreign  Missions,  for  the  world  at  large,  and, 
through  the  Inner  Mission,  for  the  needy  at  home; 
thirdly  to  describe  the  forces,  and  their  training,  by 
which  this  home  work  is  carried  on;  and  finally  to 
sketch  the  social  and  moral  conditions  of  the  country 


PREFACE  1 

and  to  point  out  their  effect  on  Christian  life, 
and  upon  the  influence  of  the  Church,  from  the  year 
1860,  or  from  the  time  when  William  I.  became  a 
prominent  figure  in  Prussian  politics,  to  the  latest 
accessible  data  under  his  grandson  William  II. 


CONTENTS. 
Chapter  I. — General  Survey* 

Germany  a  Christian  nation — This  the  universal  belief — Bible 
instruction  in  schools — Baptism  and  confirmation  the  privilege 
of  every  child — Regeneration  an  individual  afiEair — Forme  of 
government  influence — Forms  Christianity  takes — The  parish 
the  unit  of  the  National  Church — The  Cultus  Minister — Relation 
of  Emperor  to  the  Church — The  military  spirit  and  the  Church — 
The  Church  chiefly  an  institution  for  the  clergy — Love  of  forma 
and  order — Social  distinctions — Marriage — Honor  paid  to  merit 
— Rare  intellectual  ability — Poverty  of  Germany — General  con- 
dition of  the  wage=earner — Less  favorable  than  in  America — 
Lack  of  neatness  in  villages — The  homes  of  the  poor — Friendliness 
of  the  laboring  classes — Socialists — Education  in  poorer  classes 
— Character  of  their  reading — Public  meetings  of  Socialists — 
Discontent  not  a  bad  sign — Promise  in  Socialism — False  notions 
of  dignitaries — Inability  of  the  higher  classes  to  understand  the 
lower — The  middle  class — Its  influence — Its  general  condition — 
The  difficulty  of  Christian  work 19 

Chapter  II. — The  Intellectttal  Trainingf  of  the  People. 

Standards  of  intellectual  attainment — The  character  of  period- 
ical literature — The  newspapers — Their  character  and  circula- 
tion— Honor  shown  to  authors — Advantage  of  university  men — 
Specialists — Duties  of  Cultus  Minister — Relation  of  the  Church 
and  the  School  to  the  State — Kinds  of  schools — Volksschule — 
Realschule — Gymnasia — Schools  for  girls — Technical  schools 
— Grade  of  instruction  in  the  Public  schools — Buildings — Rooms 
— Teachers — Hours — Religion — Apprentice  schools — Seminaries 
for  teachers — Course  of  study  in  the  Gymnasium — Realschule — 
University — Faculties — Examination  of  professional  students, 
law,  medicine,  ministry — The  Preachers'  Seminary — Candidates 

9 


10  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

— Settlement— Salary— Present  condition  of  German  schools—- 
System  of  education  criticized— Girls'  schools  inadequate.  .  .  S8 

Chapter  III. — The  Moral  and  Religious  Life  of  Germany* 

Difficulty  of  obtaining  accurate  estimates  of  moral  and  religious 
life  in  a  foreign  country — Difiference  in  moral  standards- Effect 
of  tradition,  of  birth,  and  of  education,  on  religious  belief — Few 
confessed  Atheists — Nominal  Christians — Relative  numbers  of 
Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants— Toleration  of  sects— Their 
influence— Confirmation  the  natural  order — Intellectual  appre- 
hension of  religious  truth — Christian  duty — The  word  Christian 
partially  defined — Prominence  of  the  intellectual  in  Christian 
experience— Emotion  distrusted — Theological  professors  and 
students  and  attendance  at  Church — Sunday — Lack  of  Church 
accommodation  in  the  larger  cities — Recent  zeal  in  Church 
building  in  Berlin — Example  of  the  royal  family  in  the  honor 
shown  to  the  Church — Burials  without  religious  rites — Poverty 
— Indifference — Socialism — The  Church  neither  dead  nor  indif- 
ferent— Zeal  of  Romanism — Influence  on  Protestantism — The 
pastor  and  his  parish — Sunday-schools  and  Young  Peoples'  So- 
cieties— The  relation  of  the  sexes  prior  to  marriage — Influence  of 
other  countries  on  religious  life  in  Germany — Diversity  of  opin- 
ion, with  substantial  agreement  as  to  fundamentals — Intellectual 
activity  demands  fields  for  criticism — Moral  life  and  its  problems 
— Intemperance — The  Social  Evil — Illegitimate  children — Influ- 
ence of  the  Army  on  morals — Respect  for  law — OfiScial  honesty 
— Patriotism ■.  .  52 

Chapter  IV. — Social  and  Industrial  Movements. 

Social  and  industrial  life  as  related  to  religion — Faith  in  God 
simplifies  problems  in  Government — The  majority  of  social 
democrats  not  revolutionary — German  character — Willing  recog- 
nition of  divine  authority — Habits  of  life — In  the  country,  cat- 
tle and  the  family  often  under  the  same  roof— Character  of  the 
dwellings  in  the  city — Rents — Cost  of  living — Tendency  to  dis- 
play— Restraints  on  the  free  association  of  young  men  and 
women  of  marriageable  age — An  engagement— Large  families — 
Love  of  parents  and  children — Birthdays — Easter — Christmas — 


CONTENDS  11 

National  games — Beer  gardens  and  music — Manufactures  and 
congested  populations — Strikes — Government  ownership  of  rail- 
ways and  employment  of  labor — Emigration — Population  as 
compared  with  the  size  and  nature  of  the  country — Religion  and 
the  settlement  of  industrial  problems — Experiments  in  religion 
— Laborers  classified — Causes  of  the  present  depression — The 
Church  and  public  opinion 61 

Chapter  V. — Stimolatingf  and  Modifying  Influences  on 
Christian  Life* 

Formalism  at  the  beginning  of  the  century — Attitude  toward  the 
Scriptures  and  the  Church — Themes  for  the  pulpit  taken  from 
Natural  rather  than  from  Revealed  Theology — Reasons  for  this 
— Causes  of  reaction — Pietism  and  the  Moravians — Wars  of  in- 
dependence— The  writings  of  Kant,  Fichte,  Hegel,  Schelling, 
Schleiermacher,  Goethe,  Schiller,  and  Lessing — The  historical  and 
critical  scholars  of  the  last  half«century — Union  of  the  Reformed 
and  Lutheran  Churches,  1817 — Christian  journalism — Continua- 
tion of  intellectual  and  spiritual  forces  set  in  motion  early  in 
the  century — Berlin  in  1818 — Constitutional  Government — Inner 
Mission  and  Wittenberg — New  responsibility  with  victories  of 
1866  and  1870-71 — Ritschl  and  his  school — Principles— Genesis 
— Future — Church  building  movement  through  Gustav  Adolphus 
Verein,  1832 — The  Luther  celebration,  1867 — Dedication  of  the 
restored  Schlosskirche  at  Wittenberg,  Oct.  31,  1892 — Scepticism 
among  scholars — Real  condition  of  the  Church — Hope  for  the 
future 71 

Chapter  VI. — Foreign  Missions* 

The  charge  that  the  German  Church  is  destitute  of  spiritual 
life — Tests  of  Spirituality — Benevolence — Consecrated  lives — 
Two  great  missions  of  the  Church,  Outer  and  Inner — Author- 
ities for  Outer  or  Foreign  Missions — Origin  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions in  Germany — Franoke — Frederick  IV.  of  Denmark — The 
Danish^Halle  Society — Scene  and  results  of  its  work — Zinzendorf 
and  the  Moravians — Report  of  Moravian  Missionary  work  at 
Herrnhut,    1882 — Origin  of  the  present  interest  in  missions — 


12  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Formation  of  Missionary  Societies — Control  and  support — In- 
dependent of  State  and  Church  authority — Voluntary  move- 
ments— Persons  sent  out — Selection  and  training — Number  of 
societies — Total  income — Number  of  missionaries — Number  of 
persons  gathered  in  Christian  communities  in  foreign  lands. 

History  of  societies  according  to  the  order  of  organization — 
Moravian  Missionary  Society — The  Basel  Society — The  Berlin 
Missionary  Society  or  Berlin  I — Society  of  the  Rhine  and  West- 
phalia, or  the  Barmen  Society — The  North  Dutch,  or  Bremer 
Society — The  Leipzig  Evangelical  Society,  the  heir  to  the  Dan- 
ish'Halle  Society — The  Gossner  Missionary  Union,  or  Berlin  II 
— East  Friesland  Missionary  Society,  a  helper  of  the  foregoing 
Society — Hermannsburg  Mission,  or  "The  Peasants'  Mission" — 
The  Pilgrim  Mission — The  Jerusalem  Mission — The  Schleswig' 
Holstein  Missionary  Society,  or  the  Breklumer  Society — The 
Neuendettelsau  Missionary  Establishment — The  General  Evan- 
gelical Missionary  Union  (liberal)  for  work  among  cultured  peo- 
ples— Society  for  Evangelical  Lutheran  Missions  in  East  Africa — 
Evangelical  Society  for  Dutch  East  Africa,  Berlin  III, 

Women's  Societies — Berlin  Women's  Mission  for  China — 
Women's  Union  for  the  education  of  women  in  the  East — 
Kaiserswerth  Missions  for  the  support  of  deaconesses — Growing 
interest  in  missions — Principles  upon  which  missions  are  con- 
ducted— Preaching — Translation  of  the  Scriptures — Creation  of 
a  Christian  literature  in  the  vernacular — Training  of  children- 
Establishment  of  self=supporting  communities — Training  of  na- 
tive pastors  and  teachers — Methods  of  procedure  in  the  foreign 
field — A  call  to  missionary  service — Management  of  missionary 
societies — Sacrifices  demanded  in  foreign  fields — Missionary 
literature — Why  missionary  work  did  not  begin  earlier — History 
of  missionary  enterprise  in  Germany — Why  not  one  great  mis- 
sionary society — Present  plan  best — More  income  needed.  .  .  84 

Chapter  VIL — Sketch  of  Events  Leading:  to  the  Or gfan- 
ization  and  Establishment  of  the  INNER  MISSION. 

Profitless  doctrinal  discussions  after  the  death  of  Luther — 
Pietism — Spener  and  Francke — Rationalism — Condition  of  the 
Church  during   the   eighteenth   century   and   through   the  first 


CONTENTS  13 

quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century — Revival  of  spiritual  religion 
and  its  causes — Effect  of  this  revival  on  home  work — Exampla 
of  William  I.  and  Bismarck — The  Halle  Orphan  Asylum — Benev- 
olence from  A.  D.  1650  to  1835 — Fraucke  at  Leipzig  and  at 
Halle — Rationalism  follows  Pietism — The  ministry  and  benevo- 
lence— Study  of  previous  attempts  to  alleviate  human  suffering 
— The  New  Testament  in  the  primitive  Church — The  Martyr 
Church — From  the  fourth  to  the  end  of  the  sixth  century — Be- 
nevolence in  the  Middle  Ages. 

Charles  the  Great — Benevolence  at  the  time  of  the  Reforma- 
tion— Merit  in  begging — Instances  of  rare  benevolence — Efforts 
through  education  and  personal  help  to  destroy  the  cause  of  pov- 
erty— Halle — Beata  Sturm  at  Stuttgart — Zahn  and  the  Wolters- 
dorf  Brothers — Urlsperger  of  Augsburg — Kiessling  of  Nuremberg 
— Christian  Henry  Zeller — Christian  Frederick  Spittler — Baron 
von  Kottwitz — Volmarstein — Amalie  Sieveking,  the  Hamburg 
Tabitha — Gossner — Christian  Gottlob  Barth — Wichern — Fliedner 
— William  LOhe  of  Neuendettelsau — Charles  Kapff — Werner — 
Scope  of  the  Inner  Mission 114 

Chapter  VIIL — Preventive  Methods  Employed  by  the 

Inner  Mission. 

Personal  care  of  little  children — Schools  for  little  children — 
Sunday=schools — Orphan  Houses — Special  establishments  for 
the  education  and  preservation  of  youth — Servants'  training 
schools  and  homes — Homes  for  factory  girls  and  other  industrial 
workers — Sunday  and  Young  Women's  Societies — Homes  for 
boys  away  from  school — Inns  for  homes,  chiefly  for  working  men 
— Education  Societies — Supplemental  afternoon  manual  training 
schools  for  boys — Young  Peoples'  Societies 140 

Chapter  IX* — The  Preservation  of  th<»e  who  are  in 

Danger. 

The  building  of  Churches  and  the  formation  of  parishes 
through  the  Gustav  Adolphus  Verein — Origin  of  the  name — Aim 
and  growth — The  Lutheran  Gotteskasten,  less  liberal  thanG.A.  V. 
— Methods  of  work — Summary  of  results — Societies  for  the  sup- 


U  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  W  GERMANY 

port  of  children  while  preparing  for  Confirmation — The  diaspora, 
or  work  among  Germans  in  other  countries — Paris,  Lyons, 
Spain,  Florence,  Rome,  Scandinavia,  Low  Countries,  Southeast- 
ern Europe,  Constantinople — Other  large  cities  in  the  East — In 
South  America — Chief  work  in  North  America — Influence  of 
Lutheran  Churches  in  the  United  States. 

Work  among  German  wage=earners  in  Holland — Harvest  hands 
in  various  sections  of  Germany — Laborers  on  public  works — 
Canal  and  river  boats — Sailors — Emigrants — Arrangements  to 
meet  and  care  for  them  in  New  York 163 

Chapter  X. — Care  of  Defectives  and  the  Sick. 

The  State  not  wholly  neglectful — Work  among  the  deaf  and 
dumb — History  of  eflforts  for  this  class — Work  among  the  blind 
— Idiots  and  epileptics — Cripples — Special  efforts  to  help  bow» 
legged,  scrofulous  children — Hospitals — The  insane — The  sys- 
tematic care  with  which  German  Christians  visit  hospitals  and 
minister  to  the  inmates 173 

Chapter  XI. — Saving  the  Lost. 

Prostitution  in  Berlin — Temptations  to  sinful  life — Fliedner — 
Pastor  Heldring  of  Holland — Conditions  of  a  successful  Magda- 
lenium — DiflSculties  of  reaching  its  inmates — Drunkenness — 
Temperance  movements  in  Germany — Hindrances  to  the  progress 
of  temperance — Homes  for  inebriates — Care  for  those  with- 
out work — Two  classes  to  be  aided — Provision  for  lodging  and 
food — Purpose  to  provide  steady  employment  for  those  willing 
to  work — The  Arbeitercolonien,  or  colonies  for  working  men — 
Character,  aim,  and  management — Results — Work  in  the  prisons 
— Methods — Help  for  discharged  prisoners 187 

Chapter  XII. — The  Grculation  of  Christian  Literature. 

The  Scriptures  in  the  schools — Influence  of  Luther — The  Can- 
steiu  Bible  Society — Other  and  later  societies — Version  in  use — 
Methods  of  work — Tract  societies — The  place  a  tract  fills — What 
makes  a  tract?  Influence  of  the  London  Tract  Society  on  Ger- 
many— German  societies — Methods  of  distribution  and  the  use 
of  tracts — Peoples'  libraries — Character  and  management.  .  203 


CONTENTS  16 

Qiapter  XIIL— The  Social  Needs  of  the  People. 

Social  Congresses— The  Evangelical  Bund,  or  League— The 
city  and  its  dangers — City  missions — Three  main  objects — Se- 
lection and  training  of  laborers — Relation  to  the  Church — Cities 
in  which  found— Methods  of  work— Special  Church  work— Work 
through  unions  or  societies — Factors  in  caring  for  the  poor — 
Care  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  those  suffering  from  pesti- 
lence— Work  during  the  Schleswig'Holstein  war — Selection  and 
training  of  workers — Sunday  rest — Different  purposes  for  which 
rest  is  desired — Legislation — Relation  of  the  Church  to  the 
school — Dwellings  for  the  poor 209 

Chapter  XIV.— The  Special  Forces  by  which  the  "Work 

of  the  Inner  Mission  is  Carried  On. 

Deaconesses  and  Brothers — The  Deaconess'  movement — Flied- 
ner — Personal  history — Beginning  of  the  establishment  at 
Kaiserswerth — Mother  houses — Number  of  laborers — Fliedner's 
main  object — History  of  Kaiserswerth — Organization  and  man- 
agement —  Daily  life  —  Prob ationers  —  Dress  —  Departments  — 
Growth  of  Kaiserswerth  by  periods  of  ten  years — Health  resorts 
— Orphan  house  at  Altdorf — Girls  school  at  Hilden,  near  Dflssel- 
dorf — Marthashof,  Berlin,  Marian  nensstift,  Erefeld — Asylum  for 
erring  women— Brandenburg — Work  abroad — Jerusalem,  Smyr- 
na, Alexandria,  Beirut,  Cairo,  Florence — Summary — Associate  Sis- 
ters— Deacons — The  New  Testament  use  of  word — Brotherhoods 
and  Sisterhoods  of  the  Middle  Ages — Wichern's  purpose  in  re- 
viving the  order  of  deacons — Service  rendered — Brother  Houses 
already  founded — Training  of  deacons — No  permanent  homes 
as  for  deaconesses — Kind  of  work  undertaken — Results.  .  .  .  225 

Chapter  XV. — The  Social  and  Moral  Condition  of 
Germany  since  J  860. 

Pessimistic  views — Optimistic  views — The  probable  truth — 
Efforts  of  Social  Democracy — Unbelief  in  the  higher  classes — 
Earnestness  of  pastors — Character  of  the  Church  as  a  whole 
— Condition  of  the  people  described— The  home  and  its  foes 


16  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

— Economic  Bituation — Teachings  of  the  social  democrats — Il- 
legal marriages — The  separation  of  families — Tendency  to  cities 
— Difficulty  of  making  a  home  in  the  city — Moral  dangers  con- 
nected with  frequent  change  of  place — Efforts  to  meet  these  dan- 
gers— Influence  of  the  wife  in  the  home — Hold  which  the  home 
has  on  the  German  people — Influence  of  the  higher  classes  on 
Christian  life — Effect  on  people  of  the  payment  of  the  French 
Indemnity  —  Anti=Semitism — Growth  of  Social  Democracy — 
Character  and  conduct  of  the  rich — Effect  of  too  exclusive  at- 
tention to  natural  science — The  philosophy  of  Schopenhauer, 
Edward  von  Hartmann,  Nietzsche — Ethical  culture — Reaction — 
Science  more  modest — Study  of  mental  and  moral  Science  more 
fashionable — Superficial  studies  —  Criticism  of  Scriptures  — 
Strauss's  "Life  of  Christ  "—Party  division  in  the  Church — Re- 
union in  the  presence  of  common  dangers — These  dangers  pos- 
sibly a  new  bond  of  union — Roman  Catholics — Their  gains  as 
the  result  of  legislation  against  them — The  Protestant  position 
in  Germany. 

Peculiar  problems  growing  out  of  the  present  economic  condi- 
tions— Position  of  the  middle  classes  in  Germany — Tendency 
downward — Agricultural  depression — Effect  on  small  farmers, 
artisans,  day  laborers — Immorality  among  the  latter — Its  causes 
— Competition  with  contract  labor — Labor  saving  machines — 
Hopelessness  of  poverty — Favorable  conditions  in  the  country 
and  smaller  towns — Independent  workers — Danger  to  morals  and 
religion  from  life  in  cities  and  large  manufacturing  towns — The 
Bebel=Leibknecht  movement — Geneva  Manifesto 260 

Qiaptef   XVI. — Efforts  and  Measures  to   Meet  the 
New  Dangers  of  the  Times. 

City  Missions — The  Social  Congress — Interest  of  laity  in 
Christian  work — Special  efforts  to  win  men  back  to  the  Church 
— Defense  of  Anti=Semitism — General  tendencies — Causes  of 
alienation  from  Church  not  permanent — Sunday-schools — Soci- 
eties for  young  people — Need  of  laymen  in  various  branches  of 
Christian  work — The  personal  element  in  this  work — Tendency 
of  the  Press  to  publish  the  evil  rather  than  the  good — Earnest- 
ness with  which  the  Church  is  meeting  the  evils  of  the  times — 


CONTENTS  17 

Methods  of  meeting  infidelity  and  indifference  to  religion — 
Dangers  and  tendencies  of  the  times  clearly  seen — Insufficiency 
of  Darwinism  and  related  scientific  theories. — Science  and 
the  Word  of  God  not  inconsistent — Revival  of  former  the- 
ories of  man's  nature  and  needs — New  methods  of  Christian 
activity — Wichern  and  the  Inner  Mission — Feeling  of  responsi- 
bility growing  out  of  the  establishment  of  the  Empire — Relig- 
ions instruction  in  schools — Sunday  legislation — Activity  of 
Christian  love — Illustrated  by  the  Inner  Mission — David  von 
Augsburg — Wichern  at  Wittenberg — Fields  covered  by  the 
Inner  Mission — Real  aim  of  the  Inner  Mission — Care  of  body  a 
means  to  an  end — The  Church  as  a  source  of  pure  doctrine  for 
the  people — A  fellowship  of  believers — A  conscience  for  the 
people — Truer  estimate  of  the  meaning  of  Confirmation — 
Influence  of  England  and  America  on  Germany— Pearsall  Smith 
— Woodruff  and  Sunday-schools — Von  Bodelschwingh  and  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A. — Real  desire  of  pastors  for  the  Church  and  its 
Theological  Seminaries — Liberalism  and  benevolence — Survey  of 
the  present  condition  of  State  Churches  in  Germany — The 
Church  of  Prussia,  of  Saxony,  Hanover,  Bavaria,  Wiirttemberg, 
Baden,  Hesse,  Schlsswig^Holstein,  Mecklenburg,  Hamburg, 
Oldenburgh,  and  Bremen — Anhalt  and  the  Thuringian  States — 
Complaints  growing  out  of  the  condition  of  these  Churches — 
Relation  of  pastors  and  laymen  to  Church  work— Brutalizing 
influence  of  materialistic  philosophj?^  on  the  people — Efforts  to 
withstand  this  influence — Roman  Catholic  aggression  and  the 
Evangelical  League — Social  questions  and  the  Social  Congress 
— The  Church  the  only  real  ground  of  hope 285 


CHAPTER   I. 

GENERAL  SURVEY. 

Germany  claims  to  be  a  Christian  nation.  In  the 
minds  of  the  people,  the  State  is  as  truly  a  Christian 
State  as  the  Church  is  a  Christian  Church.  The  laws 
which  are  enacted  and  enforced  are  Christian  laws. 
The  institutions  of  the  country,  whether  educational, 
military  or  benevolent,  are  thought  to  rest  on  the 
principles  which  underlie  the  Christian  religion. 
Neither  peasant  nor  prince  will  admit  that  his  gov- 
ernment is  unchristian,  or  that  the  parishes,  into 
which  the  country  is  divided,  are  composed  of  un- 
christian people,  or  that  religious  sects,  whose  cardi- 
nal doctrine  is  that  to  be  a  Christian,  regeneration  by 
the  Spirit  of  God  is  essential,  are  justified  in  pursu- 
ing their  work  within  the  Empire.  Every  German 
citizen,  however  far  he  may  have  wandered  from  the 
faith  of  his  fathers,  however  skeptical  he  may  have 
become  as  to  the  authority  of  the  Scriptures,  or  the 
deity  of  Christ,  however  ready  he  may  be  to  declare 
himself  an  unbeliever  in  a  revealed  religion,  however 
earnest  he  may  be  as  an  idealist,  or  as  an  advocate  of 
ethics  as  the  proper  foundation  of  true  piety,  still 
maintains  that  his  country  is  Christian.  It  is  there- 
fore a  matter  of  no  small  interest  to  learn  in  what 
sense  the  word  Christian  is  used  in  Germany,  what 
Christian  faith  and  life  in  this  land  of  the  reformers 

19 


20  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

really  are.    This  will  appear  in  the  pages  that  fol- 
low. 

In  every  German  school,  from  the  first  year  in  the 
lower  grades  to  the  last  year  in  the  Gymnasium,  the 
Scriptures  form  a  part  of  the  daily  curriculum  of 
study.  No  man  is  looked  upon  as  an  educated  man 
unless  he  has  been  carefully  instructed  in  the  Bible, 
unless  he  knows  what  the  fundamental  principles  of 
the  Christian  religion  are  as  expressed  in  the  creeds 
either  of  the  Roman  Catholic  or  of  the  Protestant 
church.  It  is  a  theory  of  the  nation  that  every  child 
born  within  its  limits,  unless  of  Jewish  parentage, 
shall  be  baptized  into  the  church  either  by  a  Protes- 
tant pastor  or  by  a  Roman  Catholic  priest.  Nor  is 
this  a  full  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  State.  The 
law  requires  that  the  baptized  child  be  faithfully 
taught  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion,  that 
at  the  proper  age,  after  a  special  preparation  for  the 
step  which  is  taken,  of  his  own  free  will,  and  as  an 
expression  of  his  own  conscientious  convictions  of 
duty,  he  be  confirmed  as  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church.  While  no  one,  probably,  would  affirm 
that  a  majority,  or  even  a  large  minority,  of  those 
thus  admitted  to  the  Church,  are  "  regenerate,"  nearly 
every  one  seems  to  approve  of  the  customs  hitherto 
observed,  and  to  do  what  is  possible  to  retain  them. 
Although  confirmation  is  often  looked  upon  as  the 
beginning  of  a  social  career  rather  than  of  a  spiritual 
life,  and  is  celebrated  with  anything  rather  than  the 
solemnity  which  ought  to  mark  entrance  into  the 
church  of  God,  even  the  more  spiritual  of  the  Ger- 
man clergy  utter  no  protest  against  it,  and  take  no 
steps  to  change  the  custom  which  has  come  down  to 


GENERAL  SURVEY  21 

them.  They  say  that  it  is  impossible  to  decide  who 
are,  and  who  are  not,  regenerate  persons,  that  this  is 
a  matter  they  are  not  called  upon  to  decide,  that  it 
is  something  which  concerns  the  individual  soul  and 
its  Maker,  and  that  the  reality  of  regeneration  can  be 
inferred  only  from  subsequent  life  and  character.  If 
a  man  is  true  to  his  calling,  if  he  shows  by  his 
actions  that  he  loves  God  supremely,  and  his  neigh- 
bor as  himself,  he  is  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  real 
Christian,  whatever  his  theories  as  to  the  ''new 
birth." 

The  form  of  the  German  government  has  a  very 
decided  influence  upon  the  form  of  religion  prevail- 
ing in  the  territory  under  its  control.  Christianity 
cannot  wear  the  dress  in  a  monarchical  country  which 
it  wears  in  a  republican  State.  Nor  will  its  dress  be 
quite  the  same  in  a  country  where  monarchy  is  be- 
lieved in  as  a  God^given  form  of  government,  to  be 
sustained  at  all  hazards,  as  in  a  country  like  England, 
where  the  people  are  practically  as  free  as  in  the 
United  States.  To  a  greater  extent  than  in  England 
or  in  America,  will  religion  in  Germany  be  identified 
with  certain  traditional  or  legal  forms,  which  offi- 
cers of  the  State,  whatever  their  duties,  are  required 
to  observe.  To  a  far  greater  extent  than  we  deem 
desirable,  religion  in  Germany  is  a  matter  of  attend- 
ance at  certain  services,  the  filling  out  of  reports,  the 
discharge  of  certain  prescribed  duties.  Even  a  min- 
ister is  made  through  the  completion  of  a  certain 
course  of  study,  the  committing  to  memory  of  certain 
formulae  of  faith,  and  the  passing  of  an  examination 
which  satisfies  those  appointed  to  conduct  it,  of  in- 
tellectual ability  sufficient  to  meet  the  demands  of 


23  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

the  ministerial  office.  There  appears  to  be  no  exami- 
nation whatever  into  the  motives  which  lead  to  tho 
choice  of  the  ministry  as  a  profession,  no  attempt  to 
learn  anything  about  the  spiritual  life  of  those  who 
propose  to  preach.  As  the  union  between  Church 
and  State,  especially  in  Prussia,  is  a  vital  one,  at 
least  on  the  part  of  Protestants,  it  follows  that  be- 
tween the  obedience  rendered  to  superior  officers  in 
the  Church,  and  that  rendered  to  officers  in  other  de- 
partments of  public  service,  there  is  little  perceptible 
difference. 

Beginning  with  the  simple  Church,  which  is  the 
unit  in  the  department  of  religion,  the  pastor  and  his 
presbyters,  who  are  chosen  by  ballot  by  the  male 
members  of  the  parish,  represent  the  Church  at  the 
gatherings  of  the  pastors  and  representatives  of  other 
Churches  in  the  district  w^iere  the  local  Church  exists. 
At  these  gatherings,  persons  are  chosen  to  represent 
these  various  churches  in  the  provincial  synod,  by 
w^hose  members  other  persons  are  selected  to  perform 
a  similar  service  in  the  higher  Church  assemblies. 
As  the  Church  is  a  part  of  the  State,  and  as  the  State 
exists  to  conserve  the  interests  of  the  Church  equally 
with  those  of  education,  industry  or  trade,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  forms  of  the  Church,  whether  ecclesias- 
tical or  dogmatic,  will  be  determined,  to  a  very  con- 
siderable extent,  by  those  of  the  government  which 
protects  and  defends  it.  Naturally  enough,  the  Church 
and  the  school,  or  Christianity  and  education,  are  rep- 
resented in  the  imperial  cabinet  by  a  minister,  called 
the  Cultus  Minister,  whose  time  and  labors  are  devot- 
ed to  their  interests.  The  Emperor  himself,  the  con- 
stitutional head  of  the  Nation,  is  the  head  also  of  the 


GENERAL  SURVEY  is 

Church.  Not  that  he  can  force  conscience,  not  that 
he  has  the  right  to  dictate  as  to  matters  of  religious 
faith,  not  that  he  seeks  to  prevent  anyone  from  be- 
longing to  any  particular  body  of  Christians,  for  all 
religions  which  are  moral  are  tolerated  in  Germany, 
even  if  they  do  not  receive  the  imperial  sanction;  but 
that  he  is  the  official  head  of  a  body  of  believers  in 
Christ  whose  faith  is  as  much  a  part  of  their  patriot- 
ism as  service  in  the  army  or  the  payment  of  taxes 
is  part  of  the  public  duty  of  the  citizen.  As  the  courts 
of  the  realm  are  monarchical  in  their  forms  and 
methods  of  procedure,  so,  as  a  matter  of  necessity,  are 
the  relations  they  assume  to  the  doctrine  and  dis- 
cipline of  the  Church.  This  monarchical  spirit  shows 
itself  in  those  who  serve  the  Church  in  an  official  ca- 
pacity. The  liturgy,  simple  though  it  is,  has  in  it  a 
suggestion  of  monarchy.  Abstract  truths  of  theology 
cannot  be  stated  precisely  in  the  form  they  would  as- 
sume in  a  republic  like  our  own.  One  cannot  con- 
tinually breathe  a  monarchical  atmosphere  without 
having  both  thought  and  expression  more  or  less  in- 
fluenced by  it. 

If  we  would  understand  aright  the  Protestantism  of 
Germany,  it  is  equally  important  to  remember  that 
Germany  is  a  great  military  camp,  and  that  all  her 
institutions  are  colored  by  their  relation  to  the  Army 
or  Navy.  Without  her  military  defences  Germany 
could  not  exist.  It  is  rare  to  find  a  German  citizen 
who  believes  that  the  Army  can  with  safety  be  dimin- 
ished in  numbers,  or  that  its  efficiency  can  be  main- 
tained at  much  less  than  the  present  cost,  or  by 
methods  of  discipline  less  severe  than  those  now  em- 
ployed.    The  theory  which  is  almost  universally  ac- 


24  CHniSTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

cepted  is,  that  every  able  bodied  male  subject  of  the 
Empire  owes  at  least  three  of  the  best  years  of  his  life 
to  the  service  of  his  country  in  the  Army.  In  certain 
circumstances  the  time  of  service  may  be  somewhat 
shortened,  but  the  debt  remains  and  must  be  cancelled 
by  some  sort  of  payment.  As  every  officer  in  the 
Army  is  a  member  of  the  Church,  and  by  a  law  of  the 
Empire  must  partake  of  the  sacrament  not  less  than 
once  a  year,  very  naturally  the  soldier  learns  to  look 
upon  his  religious  duties  as  closely  connected  with 
his  military  duties.  The  private  soldier  regards  the 
chaplain  who  conducts  religious  services,  and  who 
seeks  to  prove  himself  a  friend,  as  a  superior  officer 
to  whom  strict  and  immediate  obedience  is  due. 
Something  of  this  military  spirit  is  seen  even  in  the 
smallest  village  Church.  The  pastor  is  treated  as  a 
person  of  superior  rank.  His  word  is  law.  His  author- 
ity cannot  be  resisted  except  in  accordance  with  cer- 
tain fixed  customs  or  forms  of  law  which  magnify  his 
importance.  While  the  authority  of  a  patron,  or  a 
man  of  wealth  or  of  high  social  standing  may  be  very 
great,  there  is  something  about  the  pastoral  office 
which  gives  its  possessor  a  commanding  influence. 
The  Lutheran  Church  in  Germany  is  not  a  Church  in 
which  laymen  have  much  opportunity  for  the  exercise 
of  their  gifts.  In  this  respect,  a  change  is  now  tak- 
ing place ;  but  hitherto  the  Church  has  largely  been  a 
Church  of  clergymen.  Reverence  and  obedience  to 
the  minister's  wishes  have  often  been  regarded  as 
tests  of  fidelity  in  a  religious  life.  Among  the  clergy, 
too,  respect  for  the  law  and  order  of  the  Church,  with 
exactness  and  promptitude  in  filling  out  reports,  have 


GENERAL  SURVEV  25 

furnished  reasons  for  promotion  quite  as  often  as  ef- 
ficiency in  the  pastoral  office  or  in  the  pulpit. 

Germany  is  a  country  where  social  distinctions  ex- 
ist, and  are  very  much  thought  of.  Rank  is  highly 
prized.  Much  as  the  people  think  of  money,  and  in 
no  country  in  the  world  is  it  more  eagerly  sought 
after,  social  position  is  sought  even  more  eagerly.  A 
woman  of  wealth  and  culture  will  often  consent  to 
marry  a  man  in  whose  society  she  cannot  have  any 
real  pleasure,  or  whom  she  knows  to  be  inferior  to 
her  in  mental  and  moral  worth,  if  the  marriage  will 
give  her  access  to  social  circles  to  which  neither  her 
own  merits  nor  the  rank  in  which  she  was  born  will 
secure  her  admission.  Where  the  laws  of  the  Army 
and  of  the  country  require  an  officer,  before  he  is 
permitted  to  marry,  to  prove  to  his  suj)eriors,  that 
he  possesses,  either  in  his  own  right,  or  through  the 
woman  he  proposes  to  make  his  wife,  an  income 
which  will  render  his  family  independent,  it  is  not 
strange  that  love  should  often  fail  to  occupy  the 
prominent  place  it  occupies  in  America  or  in  Eng- 
land. The  would-be  husband  seeks  wealth:  the 
would-be  wife  seeks  social  position.  Each  obtains 
what  is  sought,  and  apparently  each  is  satisfied. 

These  social  lines  are  drawn  very  sharply.  With 
the  exception  of  army  officers,  who  are  admitted  to 
Court  by  virtue  of  their  importance  as  defenders  of 
the  Empire,  and  as  a  reward  for  their  services,  it  is 
expected  that  people  will  form  matrimonial  alliances 
within  the  circle  to  which  they  belong.  As  a  rule, 
farmers  associate  with  farmers,  or  with  small  trades- 
men, bankers  with  bankers,  merchants  with  merchants, 


26  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

those  cf  any  particular  occupation  with  others  of  the 
same  occupation.  Within  these  limits  social  life  is 
free  and  delightful.  But  it  is  difficult  to  rise  out  of 
the  circle  in  which  one  is  born.  Should  a  foreigner, 
when  he  first  reaches  the  country,  enter  a  certain  social 
rank,  he  will  almost  necessarily  be  compelled  to  re- 
main in  it.  He  cannot  to-day  attend  Court  and  to= 
morrow  be  on  intimate  terms  with  a  banker  or  a  mer- 
chant. Still  there  is  a  growing  tendency  in  Germany 
to  reward  merit  with  social  honors.  The  mechanical 
ability  of  a  Krupp,  or  a  Siemens,  secures  a  title  which 
brings  with  it  social  standing.  But  honors  bestowed 
on  the  head  of  a  family  do  not  lift  up  the  entire  fami- 
ly to  the  position  which  the  favored  one  occupies. 

As  a  rule,  intellectual  ability  means  more  in  Ger- 
many than  in  America.  Outside  Court  circles,  there 
is  no  better  social  position  than  that  which  the  Uni- 
versity professor  possesses.  Of  equal  rank  with  him 
are  pastors,  the  rectors  of  the  gymnasia,  officers  in  the 
civil  service,  and  men  of  great  intellectual  gifts.  A 
scholar  of  rare  attainments,  an  author  of  exceptional 
brilliancy,  a  distinguished  explorer,  may  be  received 
at  Court.  But  this  honor,  coveted  as  it  is  even  by 
the  family  of  the  one  who  receives  it,  does  not  take 
the  wife  or  the  children  to  Court,  nor  give  them,  save 
indirectly,  any  advantage  after  the  death  of  the  person 
to  whom  the  distinction  has  been  paid.  It  can  easily 
be  seen  that  among  a  people  thus  socially  divided, 
Church  work  cannot  be  carried  on  as  in  a  country 
where  social  lines  are  not  observed.  It  is  difficult  to 
preach  as  faithfully  and  earnestly  on  the  practical 
obligations  we  owe  to  each  other,  when  the  Emjjeror 
is  present  in  his  seat,  or  when  princes  and  nobles  are 


GENERAL  SURVEY  27 

in  their  ijlaces,  as  when  the  congregation  are  all  on 
the  same  social  level.  Of  course  there  are  parishes 
in  which  this  is  done,  but  they  are  not  often 
found.  To  judge  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church 
in  Germany,  one  must  not  forget  that  its  members 
aro  not  of  the  same  rank  socially,  that  they  do  not 
meet  together  freely,  that  among  them  it  would  be 
impracticable  to  establish  prayer  and  conference 
meetings,  like  those  with  which  we  are  familiar  in 
the  United  States,  and  which  are  indispensable  to  our 
Christian  life.  Individuals  of  the  same  rank  might 
meet  together  for  religious  conversation,  and  perhaps 
they  sometimes  do,  but  any  effort  to  bring  all  classes 
together,  would  be  futile  and  increase  the  sense  of  infe- 
riority which  the  lower  classes  manifest  in  the  pres- 
ence of  their  social  superiors.  Such  facts  as  these 
determine  to  a  much  greater  extent  than  would  at 
first  be  thought  possible,  the  Christian  life  and  ac- 
tivity of  the  German  Church. 

Germany  is  a  poor  country.  Although  its  wealth 
has  rapidly  increased  within  the  last  twenty  years, 
neither  in  the  variety  of  its  productions,  nor  in  its 
accumulations  of  capital,  can  it  be  favorably  com- 
pared wnth  England,  with  France,  or  with  the  United 
States.  Its  climate  is  harsh,  its  soil  thin  and  poor, 
at  least  in  the  north,  and  its  sea  coast  is  compara- 
tively limited.  While  there  is  in  the  aggregate  a 
good  deal  of  wealth  in  Germany,  the  people,  as  a  rule, 
have  small  means  at  their  disposal.  They  cannot 
build  churches  out  of  surplus  earnings  or  savings,  as 
English  and  American  Christians  are  constantly 
doing.  If  new  churches  are  needed,  the  State  must 
secure  their  erection.     It  is  hard  for  the  people  to 


28  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

spare  even  the  amount  collected  in  taxes  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  local  Church. 

The  condition  of  the  wage^earner  in  Germany,  if 
one  of  comparative  comfort,  is  less  tolerable  than  in 
America.  An  eight=hour  day  is  unknown.  The 
peasant  goes  to  his  toil  at  daylight,  and  in  winter 
does  not  return  from  it  until  the  stars  appear.  Ma- 
sons, carpenters,  tradesmen  of  every  kind,  have  an 
almost  equally  long  day.  With  all  their  industry 
and  thrift  there  is  little  chance  of  rising  into  a  posi- 
tion of  independence,  although  in  favored  circum- 
stances this  is  sometimes  done.  In  general,  food  is 
poor  and  scant.  Meat  is  not  eaten  every  day.  Beer 
and  black  bread  are  the  staple  articles  of  food  and 
drink  among  the  people.  In  such  circumstances  we 
cannot  look  for  moral  or  spiritual  aggressiveness,  or 
for  many  or  raxoid  social  changes.  The  tendency  is 
to  keep  things  as  they  are.  As  they  say  in  West- 
phalia, "  What  has  been  must  be."  To  bring  together 
into  a  Church  edifice  once  every  week  a  spiritually^ 
minded  congregation,  eager  for  Christian  service,  is 
difficult.  Out  of  such  a  congregation  to  gather  a  suf- 
ficient number  for  a  mid=^week  prayer=meeting  would 
be  even  more  difficult.  Probably  the  majority  of 
those  who  attend  Church  think  that  the  church  or  its 
authorities  ought  to  do  something  for  them,  rather 
than  expect  them  to  do  for  others. 

That  the  condition  of  the  laboring  classes  in  Ger- 
many is  as  good  as  in  the  United  States  cannot  be 
affirmed.  Although  it  costs  the  wage-earner  much 
less  to  live  than  it  costs  to  live  in  this  country,  his 
income  is  far  below  that  which  he  would  receive  here. 
His  long  day's  work  brings  him  a  very  small  return. 


GENERAL  SURVEY  29 

Common  workmen,  hod  carriers,  cabmen,  draymen, 
would  be  independent  on  wages  equal  to  those  paid 
in  this  country.  In  harvest  time,  good  hands  receive 
about  four  marks,  or  one  dollar  a  day,  and  board. 
This  sum  is  obtained,  however,  only  by  those  who  are 
so  fortunate  as  to  work  by  the  piece,  and  for  this  they 
are  content  to  work  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  Carpen- 
ters, butchers,  masons,  plumbers,  printers,  and  book= 
binders,  all  receive  small  pay.  The  profits  looked  for 
by  bankers,  shop=keepers  of  various  kinds,  and  great 
merchants,  are  less  than  would  be  satisfactory  in 
America.  Yet  German  peasants  appear  to  live  com- 
fortably. Their  houses  are  small  and  poor.  But  the 
people  who  occupy  them  do  not  seem,  except  in  cer- 
tain localities,  to  go  hungry,  nor  do  they  often  show 
themselves  on  the  streets  or  at  church  save  in  neat 
attire.  In  the  city,  families  are  not  crowded  together 
as  in  London  or  in  New  York.  First  impressions 
might  suggest  less  regard  for  cleanliness  and  the  con- 
ditions of  health,  especially  in  some  of  the  country 
villages,  than  is  usual  in  America,  but  a  closer  scru- 
tiny would  show  that  this  is  not  true.  What  dirt  the 
German  makes  is  visible.  If  it  be  unpleasant  to  ride 
through  the  principal  streets  of  some  of  the  larger 
country  towns,  in  Westphalia,  for  instance,  and  see 
the  waste  of  the  barn  heaped  in  front  of  almost 
every  house,  and  close  by  the  main  entrance,  it  is  a 
comfort  to  learn  that  back  of  the  house,  is  a  welhkejjt 
garden,  where  the  family  spend  many  happy  hours, 
and  from  which  they  derive  no  small  part  of  their 
enjoyment  and  their  food. 

In  the  larger  cities,  the  very  poor  do  not  congre- 
gate in  any  single  section,  but  occupy  either   the  top 


30  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

stories,  or  the  lower  floors,  of  houses  which  contain 
the  homes  of  people  who  are  comfortably  off.  The 
laboring  people  are  always  on  good  terms  with  each 
other.  From  their  ranks  come  many  of  the  soldiers 
in  the  Army.  These  laborers  are  very  largely  social- 
ists, or  as  they  are  now  generally  called,  Social  Dem- 
ocrats. But,  if  we  except  some  of  their  leaders,  they 
are  not  the  dangerous  persons  we  often  imagine. 
They  are  not  anarchists,  save  to  a  limited  extent  in 
the  larger  cities.  They  do  not  seek  to  overthrow  the 
government.  Nor  are  they  republicans,  as  opposed 
to  monarchists.  They  are  in  the  main  satisfied  with 
the  government  they  have,  so  far  as  its  form  is  con- 
cerned. They  desire,  and  earnestly  seek  better  condi- 
tions of  life.  They  want  better  opportunities  for 
their  wives  and  children.  For  this  no  one  can  blame 
them.  The  changes  which  will  bring  about  these 
opportunities  are  sought  through  the  ballot,  in  peace- 
able, legal  ways,  not  as  in  some  other  countries  through 
violence  and  dynamite.  It  is  for  this  reason,  doubtless, 
that  the  Emperor  has  been  in  sympathy  with  this 
class,  although  recently  his  attitude  has  been  less  fav- 
orable toward  it  than  formerly,  perhaps  because  those 
who  compose  it  are  becoming  less  friendly  to  law  as 
their  numbers  increase.  A  few  years  since  he  sought  to 
improve  their  condition  through  legislation  in  their  be- 
half. Up  to  a  certain  point  these  socialists  are  fairly 
well  educated.  They  can  read  and  write.  They  can 
make  out  a  bill  for  their  work  as  accurately  as  if  they 
had  been  trained  in  a  good  American  Business  Col- 
lege. Common  washerwomen  are  no  less  proficient. 
Their  hand  writing  is  neat  and  legible,  and  their  ac- 
counts are  nearly  always  correct.     Dishonesty  is  not 


GENERAL  SURVEY  31 

one  of  their  traits.  Yet  as  a  whole  the  people  are  not 
great  readers,  even  of  daily  papers.  They  do  not 
patronize  public  libraries.  There  are  few,  if  any 
magazines,  in  Germany  to  be  compared  with  Harper's 
or  the  Century.  If  there  were,  the  laboring  classes 
would  not  read  them.  Perhaps  they  could  not  afPord 
to  buy  them,  even  if  interested  in  them.  Still  there 
is  a  kind  of  reading  which  is  furnished  them  freely. 
It  is  partly  religious,  partly  socialistic.  Sermons  of 
such  men  as  Dr.  Adolph  Stoecker,  formerly  Court 
preacher,  now  the  head  of  the  Berlin  City  Missionary 
Society,  and  a  Member  of  Parliament,  and  tracts  full 
of  sound  advice  well  calculated  to  produce  a  content- 
ed mind,  are  largely  circulated.  Papers  and  tracts  of 
an  opposite  tendency  have  also  a  wide  circulation. 
Of  the  people's  libraries  we  shall  speak  later. 

Although  no  gatherings  are  allowed  except  under 
the  eye  of  the  police,  many  are  held  at  which  the  doc- 
trines of  socialism  are  freely  discussed,  together  with 
the  wrongs,  real  and  imaginary,  from  which  the  peo- 
I)le  suffer.  These  meetings  are  usually  held  in  beer- 
gardens,  and  although  in  general  there  is  not  very 
much  drunkeness,  still  far  more  beer  is  consumed 
than  is  good  for  those  who  use  it.  It  is  said  by  com- 
petent judges  that  the  poorer  classes  are  learning  to 
drink,  with  far  greater  relish  than  formerly,  a  cheap 
kind  of  liquor,  known  as  Brantwein,  which  is  intoxi- 
cating and  very  hurtful.  The  government  is  desirous 
that  these  classes  should  continue  to  use  beer.  This 
is  one  reason  why  an  increase  in  the  tax  on  malt  liquors 
has  been  so  sturdily  opposed. 

Discontent  in  the  poorer  classes  is  not  a  bad  sign. 
It  has  been  a  source  of  discouragement  to  many  who 


32  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

have  had  their  welfare  at  heart  that  but  few  among 
them  seem  to  care  to  improve  their  condition.  Equal- 
ly disappointing  is  it  to  find  that  after  leaving  school, 
few  manifest  an  interest  in  books,  or  in  public  affairs, 
while  the  mass  are  content  with  what  they  already 
know,  and  desire  to  have  things  continue  as  they  are. 
In  view  of  these  facts,  one  ought  to  feel  grateful  that 
discontent  has  begun  to  show  itself.  It  is  a  discon- 
tent which  will  need  a  great  deal  of  enlightenment  and 
patient  leadership,  though  both,  no  doubt,  in  time,  will 
come.  The  day  cannot  be  far  off  when  better  wages 
will  be  paid  for  labor,  when  the  lower  classes  will  not 
be  willing  to  live  as  they  do  now;  when  many  among 
them  will  insist  upon  better  opportunities  for  educa- 
tion and  self=improvement.  Just  how  this  will  be 
brought  about,  few  would  care  to  predict.  Perhaps 
through  Socialism,  or  the  discussion  of  its  principles. 
Certainly  not  by  laws  which  muzzle  the  press,  or  de- 
prive the  people  of  any  of  their  rights  as  freemen. 
The  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  those  who  pro- 
claim themselves  Socialists,  indicates  a  degree  of 
thoughtfulness  which  will  certainly  produce  fruit. 

The  social  life  of  the  people,  as  has  been  said,  is 
confined  to  the  rank  to  which  they  belong.  The 
workman  is  not  admitted  to  the  table  of  his  em- 
ployer, nor  invited  to  his  parties,  not  even  to  his 
out-of-door  parties.  He  may  not  aspire  to  the  hand 
of  his  employer's  daughter.  Nor  may  a  son  of  a 
manufacturer  or  contractor  stoop  to  a  matrimonial 
alliance  with  a  woman  from  the  ranks  of  labor. 
Nevertheless,  such  alliances  are  sometimes  made. 
Nor  is  it  as  rare  as  it  once  was  for  a  bright  boy  to 
push  his  way  from  servile   conditions  to   those   of 


GENERAL  SURVEY  88 

honor  and  wealth.  Socialism  has  created  a  desire 
for  better  conditions  than  those  which  now  prevail. 
It  has  taught  the  people  the  advantage  of  a  trained 
intellect,  of  co-operation,  of  unity  in  aim.  If  these 
better  conditions  are  sought  within  the  law,  as  tliey 
probably  will  be,  we  cannot  withhold  our  sympathy 
from  the  movement  which  promises  to  secure  them. 
Why  should  taxes  be  levied  on  the  beggarly  v/ages  of 
a  little  child,  and  the  great  possessions  of  a  prince 
pay  no  revenue  to  the  gov(irnment?  To  ask  the 
question  is  to  answer  it.  That  religion  should  flour- 
ish among  a  people  v/ho  can  scarcely  secure  enough 
by  unremitting  toil,  and  the  utmost  frugality  to  keep 
body  and  soul  together,  is  hardly  to  be  expected. 
True,  they  need  its  consolations,  and  its  stimulus, 
more  than  those  who  are  in  better  temporal  condi- 
tions, yet  they  rarely  receive  it  in  any  such  way  as  to 
make  it  a  source  of  moral  and  spiritual  j)ower  in  their 
lives.  With  many  of  these  poorer  people  attendance 
at  Church  is  merely  formal,  and  from  habit,  rather 
than  from  a  desire  to  worship  God  and  enter  into 
communion  with  Him.  Their  thoughts  of  God  are 
determined  by  their  thoughts  of  the  rich  manufac- 
turer, the  high=born  prince  or  the  Emperor.  God  is  a 
being  to  be  honored,  feared,  obeyed,  rather  than 
loved  and  trusted. 

It  is  hard  to  put  one's  self  into  the  condition  of 
the  German  peasant,  or  wage-earner.  Each  retains 
his  traditional  love  for  personal  liberty,  his  sense  of 
IDcrsonal  importance,  and  yet  cherishes  a  x^assionate 
love  for  his  fatherland.  Even  his  pastor  hardly  un- 
derstands him,  or  descends  to  his  level.  He  often 
gpeaks  to  him  in  language  which  is  several  grades 


H  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

above  his  thought.  His  appeals  from  the  pulpit,  or 
in  private  life,  although  not  entirely  rejected,  have 
less  effect  than  they  might  have,  were  they  fully  un- 
derstood. Very  frequently  they  do  not  touch  the 
person  to  vrhom  they  are  addressed.  Nor  is  this 
strange.  A  university  man  cannot  easily  think  along 
lines  which  are  familiar  to  those  of  the  laboring 
classes  who  hear  him  preach,  though  there  are  some 
exceptions.  Not  a  few  pastors  have  studied  the  con- 
ditions of  their  parishes,  and  learned  how  to  use  the 
language  of  common  life  in  their  sermons.  Not  a 
few  of  the  more  conspicuous  preachers,  while  fully 
convinced  that  a  change  in  the  conditions  of  living 
ought  to  be  brought  about,  are  persuaded  that 
nothing  will  improve  these  conditions  like  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ  presented  in  a  simple,  spiritual  way, 
and  accepted  in  faith  and  love.  A  far  larger  number 
of  men  and  women  than  is  generally  believed  are 
seeking  to  reach  the  humbler  classes  by  means  which 
the  Gospel  sanctions,  and  which  cannot  fail  to  ele- 
vate those  among  whom  they  are  laboring. 

Even  in  Germany  there  is  a  middle  class  which 
exerts  great  influence.  It  is  composed  of  energetic 
men  of  business,  of  men  who,  having  served  in  the 
army,  find  the  humdrum  life  of  a  peasant  unendura- 
ble; of  men  who  are  in  the  service  of  the  State 
either  as  conductors  on  the  railways,  as  telegrajph 
operators,  or  as  employees  in  the  post-office;  of  men  who 
enter  the  learned  professions,  are  employed  as  teachers 
in  private  or  public  schools,  or  fill  positions  of  import- 
ance in  philanthropic  institutions.  If  few  of  those  who 
belong  to  this  middle  class  are  socially  recognized  by 
those  belonging  to  the  higher  circles,  their  opinions 


GENERAL  SURVEY  85 

on  many  questions  of  the  day  command  attention 
and  respect,  In  this  middle  class  are  found  the  men 
who  pay  the  bills  of  the  nation,  v/ho  have  the  brains 
of  the  nation,  who  edit  the  papers  and  write  the 
books  of  the  nation,  and,  above  all,  those  Avho  train 
the  youth  of  the  nation. 

To  stimulate  effort,  and  to  prevent  the  more  suc- 
cessful from  being  jealous  of  those  who  by  birth  out- 
rank them,  a  few  of  the  more  distinguished  middle 
class  men,  as  previously  stated,  are  ennobled,  or 
given  decorations  which  admit  them  to  Court  circles. 
A  great  farmer  ranks  as  high  as  the  rich  manufacturer, 
the  successful  banker,  the  speculator,  or  the  mer- 
chant prince  of  a  city  like  Hamburg  or  Bremen. 
Yet  none  of  these  men  would  be  willing  that  a  mem- 
ber of  his  family  should  form  an  alliance  with  any  of 
those  whom  they  regard  as  socially  beneath  them; 
hence  they  have  little  expectation  of  being  allied 
with  those  who  are  socially  above  them.  Through 
their  wealth  their  sons  sometimes  become  oflScers  in 
the  army,  while  by  marriage  their  daughters  may  be 
brought  into  court  circles,  but,  as  a  rule,  the  mem- 
bers of  very  wealthy  and  highly  respectable  families 
are  obliged  to  be  socially  content  with  the  rank  in 
which  they  are  born. 

Commissioned  officers,  both  in  the  Army  and  in  the 
Navy,  are  in  the  main  selected  from  families  that  belong 
to  the  nobility.  In  some  regiments  the  officers  already 
in  service  have  the  privilege  of  deciding  who  may, 
and  who  may  not,  be  admitted  to  their  fellowship. 
However  great  his  valor,  a  poor  man's  son  has  little 
hope  of  attaining  a  higher  rank  than  that  of  a  non- 
commissioned officer.     There  are  of  course  exceptions. 


36  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

for  unusual  merit  generally  compels  recognition,  but 
for  the  most  part  it  is  those  who  are  favored  by  birth 
who  Vv'in  the  prizes  in  life.  Yet  the  noble  born  are 
brought  into  competition  with  the  base  born,  and  can 
keep  their  position  year  after  year  only  by  real  merit, 
and  can  rise  in  it,  only  as  high  as  their  merit  shows 
that  they  are  worthy  to  rise.  Hence  not  infrequently 
it  comes  to  pass,  yet  not  often  enough  to  set  aside 
the  rule,  that  barriers  of  rank  are  broken,  and  that 
men  from  the  lower  strata  of  society  reach  the 
higher  levels. 

From  what  has  been  said  it  must  not  be  inferred 
that  members  of  differing  social  ranks  are  not  con- 
stantly thrown  together,  and  are  not  on  familiar  and 
friendly  terms  with  each  other.  Nevertheless  the  so- 
cial lines  between  them  are  so  strong  as  to  render 
their  obliteration  practically  impossible.  The  life  of 
a  man  of  wealth,  be  he  banker,  merchant,  manufactur- 
er, or  speculator  on  the  Bourse,  has  little  in  common 
with  the  interests  of  the  learned  class,  still  less  with 
those  of  the  common  people.  The  university  profes- 
sor, the  director  of  the  gymnasium,  the  head  of  a  pub- 
lic school,  the  manager  of  an  asylum  or  a  prison,  find 
their  social  affinities  among  those  whose  thoughts  are 
given  to  educational,  philanthropic  or  literary  sub- 
jects. The  pastor,  hard  as  he  may  try  to  reach  the 
common  people  with  friendly  and  Christian  advice, 
has  little  real  sympathy  with  them.  He  goes  else- 
where for  society.  Yet  far  more  frequently  than  in 
former  j^ears  do  we  meet  iDersons  in  the  ministry  who 
are  studying  the  social  conditions  of  their  parishes, 
and  are  seeking  to  bring  about  such  changes  in  law 
and  popular  sentiment  as  will  give  everyone  an  ec^ual 


GENERAL  SURVEY  37 

chance   in    life,   aud  enable  everyone  to   make  the 
most  of  it. 

It  need  hardly  be  said  that  in  conditions  like  these, 
it  is  very  difficult  to  carry  forvv^ard  Christian  work  on 
the  broad,  generous  scale  of  the  Gospel,  to  give  every 
man  what  he  considers  his  just  due,  and  yet  to  treat 
all  as  equal  in  the  sight  of  God.  This  is  the  problem 
which  aristocratic  Germany  is  trying  to  solve.  The 
difficulties  of  the  solution  are  immensely  increased  by 
the  intensely  monarchical  and  military  spirit  which 
prevails,  and  by  the  feeling  that  whatever  is,  is  right, 
and  that  toward  v/ealth,  birth,  education  and  position, 
every  less  fortunate  person  ought  to  cherish  a  rever- 
ent regard.  Many  of  these  general  statements  will 
be  more  fully  illustrated  in  the  chapters  which  fol- 
low. In  spite  of  the  difficulties  with  which  her  peo- 
ple are  contending,  it  will  be  our  aim  to  show  that 
Germany  is  indeed  a  Christian  nation,  and  that  Chris- 
tian life  within  her  limits  is  far  more  general  and  in- 
fluential than  is  sometimes  thought. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  INTELLECTUAL  TRAINING  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 

Nowhere  in  the  world  is  intellectual  power  prized 
more  highly  than  in  Germany.  The  standards  of  at- 
tainment in  the  professions  are  as  high  as  they  can 
well  be  made.  In  mental  equipment,  the  pastors, 
laymen,  physicians,  teachers,  and  scientists  of  Ger- 
many have  few,  if  any,  rivals.  Yet  owing  to  the  ex- 
istence of  the  peasant  class,  and  the  large  number  of 
mere  wage  earners  of  the  social  rank  of  the  peasant 
the  average  intelligence  of  the  people  is  not  up  to 
that  which  i)i'evailed  in  New  England  jprior  to  the 
Civil  War  of  1861-G5.  Germany  has  no  such  news- 
paper press  as  ours.  Nor  is  it  free  to  criticize  the 
government  or  existing  institutions  as  is  the  press 
among  English=speaking  peoples.  The  German 
magazines,  though  numerous,  are  not  widely  circu- 
lated. The  German  journals  and  magazines  are  for 
special  classes  of  readers,  and  for  special  objects. 
While  admirably  conducted,  and  exceedingly  able, 
they  do  not,  like  the  magazines  and  reviews  with 
which  we  are  familiar,  appeal  to  the  popular  heart,  or 
convey  information  on  topics  which  interest  everyone. 

Among  the  children  of  working  people  there  is 
neither  the  desire  for,  nor  the  hope  of,  obtaining  such 
an  education  as  prevails  v/ith  us.  This  is  due  partly 
to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  it,  and  partly  to  the 
fact  that,   in  general,   the  sons  of   university    men 

38 


INTELLECTUAL  TRAINING  89 

are  most  anxious  for  learning,  and  so  monopolize  and 
crowd  the  professions.  Others  are  content  to  tread  in 
the  paternal  footsteps.  With  the  increase  of  wealth 
there  is  an  increase  in  the  number  of  those  who  pat- 
ronize the  Universities.  Denominational  periodicals, 
like  those  published  in  this  country,  are  unknown  in 
Germany.  Those  devoted  to  the  interests  of  some 
particular  phase  of  faith,  or  which  represent  the  views 
of  a  wing  of  the  Church,  the  right,  the  center,  or  the 
left,  have  but  a  limited  circulation.  Political  journalg, 
which  advocate  measures  vdiich  the  people  can  do  lit- 
tle to  bring  about,  do  not  attract  many  readers,  al- 
though radical  papers,  like  the  Vorwdrls,  of  Berlin, 
are  increasing  in  number  and  influence.  Still,  nearly 
everyone  manages  to  keep  informed  on  the  general 
news  of  the  day,  to  know  what  the  government  is  pro- 
IDosing  to  do,  whether  the  Army  is  to  be  increased,  or 
diminished,  and  what  are  the  prospects  for  better 
times  in  agricultural  or  industrial  districts.  But 
while  this  true,  it  is  also  true  that  wage^earners,  as  a 
class,  whether  in  the  city  or  the  country,  do  not 
seem  to  have  the  interest  in  reading  which  is  observed 
among  wage^earners  in  America.  Members  of  the 
burgher  class,  well  educated  as  most  of  them  are,  do 
not  care  for  books  or  papers,  as  those  of  correspond- 
ing rank  do  here.  Nevertheless,  great  respect  is  ev- 
erywhere shown  to  men  of  learning.  Peasants  honor 
them,  as  do  the  burghers,  from  whose  ranks  the  in- 
tellectual army  receives  many  recruits.  Outside  the 
Army,  in  times  of  peace,  the  roads  which  lead  to  dis- 
tinction are  by  authorship,  eloquence,  scientific  dis- 
covery, success  in  some  department  of  art,  in  geo- 
graphical explorations,  or  through  some  rare  and  pe- 


40  CHtilSTIAN  LIFE  IN  GEHMANY 

culiar  intellectual  gift.  Distinction  on  the  stage,  or 
in  music,  brings  substantial  returns  and  honor. 
Statesmen  acquire  as  much  reputation  for  what  they 
write,  as  for  their  ability  in  debate,  or  in  leading  a 
party.  The  men  who  obtain  wealth  are  honored  for 
their  supposed  mental  power,  quite  as  much  as  for 
the  wealth  they  acquire.  Intellect  is  a  deity  at  whose 
shrine  not  a  few  worship. 

A  university  man  starts  in  life  with  a  broad  and 
thorough  training.  He  is  fitted  to  enter  almost  any 
vocation  or  field  of  study  or  research  to  which  his 
tastes  may  attract  him.  He  begins  his  active  life 
as  a  scholar  of  no  mean  attainments.  A  little  labor 
suffices  to  keep  him  informed  as  to  the  additions 
made  to  knowledge  in  the  various  departments  of 
learning.  Yet  Germany  is  pre-eminently  the  coun- 
try of  the  specialist.  Few  who  seek  the  highest 
honors  in  scholarship  venture  to  cultivate  more  than 
a  small  portion  of  the  wide  field  to  which  their  atten- 
tion is  drawn.  Hence  Germany  is  a  country  of  au- 
thorities. Would  one  read  the  last  word  in  any 
branch  of  learning  it  must  be  found  in  a  German 
book.  In  practical  affairs,  like  those  connected  with 
engineering,  mining,  agriculture,  the  apiolications  of 
chemical  principles,  one  cannot  afford  to  disregard  the 
theories  or  the  methods  which  have  found  approval  in 
Germany. 

But  we  shall  hardly  appreciate  the  honor  paid  to 
cultivated  intellect  in  Germany  without  carefully 
considering  her  system  of  education.  In  no  other 
European  county,  Sweden  possibly  excepted,  is  ed- 
ucation so  scientific.  It  is  a  system  of  which  its  advo- 
cates are  naturally  proud.    Perfect  as  it  seems  to  be, 


INTELLECTUAL  TRAINING  41 

some  of  the  best  minds  in  the  Empire  are  continual- 
ly seeking  to  improve  it.  The  system  now  followed 
in  Prussia,  and  with  slight  modifications  in  every 
German  province,  is  the  result  of  centuries  of  thought 
and  experiment.  It  is  intended  to  reach  every  child 
in  the  Empire,  to  develop  his  faculties  in  a  way  best 
adapted  to  his  native  gifts,  and  to  meet  the  demands 
of  society  and  the  State.  In  the  Cabinet,  the  school 
and  the  Church  are  placed  upon  the  same  level.  A 
person  of  great  ability  and  exalted  character,  the 
Cultus  Minister,  is  charged  with  their  care.  The 
theory  is,  that  education  and  religion  are  of  equal  im- 
portance in  the  training  of  the  citizen,  that  neither 
can  be  neglected  without  serious  loss  to  the  State. 
In  a  certain  well  understood  sense,  every  teacher,  as 
well  as  every  pastor,  is  an  oflBcer  of  the  government, 
belongs  to  that  complicated  machine,  which  not  only 
controls  and  defends  the  country,  but  uses  its  resourc- 
es, whether  they  consist  of  human  lives  or  material 
possessions,  for  the  country's  good.  This  system  of 
education  is  made  efPective  by  a  very  large  annual  ap- 
propriation from  the  public  revenues. 

The  schools  may  be  classified  as  follows:  first,  the 
schools  for  the  people,  the  "  Volksschulen,"  which  cor- 
respond to  our  primary  and  grammar  schools;  second, 
the  *'  Realschulen,"  which  are  of  a  first  or  second 
rank  according  as  they  fit  youth  for  business,  for  oc- 
cupations which  do  not  require  a  university  training, 
or  for  those  callings  which  do  require  it,  but  do  not 
demand  a  knowledge  of  the  classics;  third  the  "Gym- 
nasia,'' with  the  pro=gymnasial  schools,  in  which  boys 
are  prepared  in  the  most  thorough  manner  for  every- 
thing which  the  universities  teach.   There  are,  in  addi- 


42  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

tion,  separate  schools  for  girls,  who  are  not  permitted 
to  attend  either  the  Realschulen,  or  the  Gymnasia. 
There  are  technical  schools,  also  schools  of  forestry,  for 
tliose  who  are  to  have  the  charge  of  the  forests,  which 
for  the  most  part  belong  to  the  government,  and  are 
very  carefully  guarded,  schools  of  engineering,  min- 
ing, electricity,  the  various  departments  of  science,  as 
well  as  many  private  schools  for  music,  painting  and 
special  research.  Then  there  are  the  schools  in 
which  the  science  of  war,  both  upon  land  and  sea,  is 
taught  to  tliose  promising  young  officers  whose  so- 
cial standing,  moral  character,  and  intellectual  abil- 
ity, recommend  them  to  the  government  as  fit  candi- 
dates for  a  three  years  course  at  the  public  expense. 

It  was  the  "Volks"  Schools  for  which  a  law  was 
designed,  that  would  have  given,  as  was  believed,  in- 
creased influence  to  the  clergy  at  the  expense  of  the 
teachers,  which,  a  few  years  since,  cost  a  cabinet  min- 
ister his  place,  but  which  after  all,  would  only  have 
emphasized  a  little  stronger  than  at  present  that 
moral  and  religious  instruction,  which  the  Protestant 
pastor,  the  Roman  Catholic  priest,  or  the  Jewish 
Rabbi,  is  required  to  impart.  These  primary  schools, 
which  are  practically  free,  at  least  in  Prussia,  are  at- 
tended by  pupils  of  both  sexes  from  the  age  of  six  to 
fourteen.  To  a  limited  extent  women  are  employed 
in  them  as  teachers,  as  they  are  in  girls'  schools, 
chiefly.  The  grade  of  instruction  is  about  the  same 
as  that  in  our  grammar  schools.  Attendance  is  com- 
pulsory. No  instructor  is  allowed  to  have  more  than 
ninety  pupils  in  a  single  room.  A  larger  number 
calls  for  an  extra  room,  and  an  additional  teacher.  This 
increase   continues  till  the  building  contains  eight 


INTELLECTUAL  TRAINING  4r{ 

rooms,  or  becomes  an  eight  room  school.  Then  an- 
other building,  and  a  new  school,  are  made  necessary 
by  law.  In  towns,  cities,  or  villages,  where  there  are 
twenty=five  pupils  belonging  either  to  Lutheran,  Ro- 
man Catholic,  or  Jewish  families,  a  separate  parish 
school  may  be  opened,  in  which  the  pastor,  or  priest,  or 
rabbi,  gives  a  prescribed  course  of  instruction.  These 
schools,  although  often  established  by  the  churches, 
or  the  synagogues,  are  yet  under  state  inspection  and 
control,  and  receive  state  aid,  though  not  always 
enough  for  their  support.  That  is,  the  parish  school 
may  be  treated  as  a  Volksschule,  or,  if  of  a  certain 
grade,  may  be  regarded  as  a  pro=gymnasial  or  a  burgher 
school.  In  summer  these  schools  open  at  7  A.  M. 
and  close  at  noon.  In  the  rural  districts,  for  the  sake 
of  the  older  children  whose  work  in  the  fields  is  val- 
uable, the  schools  open  at  G  A.  M.  and  close  at  9  A. 
M.  Then  the  younger  children  come  and  remain  till 
12  M.  In  the  winter,  the  schools  open  and  close  an 
hour  later.  Exce^Dt  in  the  larger  towns,  there  are  no 
Kindergartens,  although  there  are  many  private 
schools  for  very  young  children.  There  are,  also, 
supplementary  schools,  which  furnish  two  hours  in- 
struction on  some  week  day,  and  two  hours  on  Sun- 
day, for  apprentices,  or  workmen  of  any  sort,  whose 
mental  training  has  been  neglected.  Employers  are 
obliged  to  see  that  their  employees  attend  these 
schools.  Instruction  is  given  in  German,  book-keep- 
ing, correspondence,  the  art  of  making  out  bills,  reck- 
oning, and  drawing.  It  is  given  by  teachers  from 
the  public  schools,  and  is  paid  for  out  of  the  tax  lev- 
ies. In  some  x)laces,  as  in  Berlin,  there  are  supple- 
mentary schools  for  girls,  who  are  taught,  in  addition 


44  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  iN  GERMANY 

to  the  subjects  just  named,  industrial  drawing, 
womanly  handiwork,  housekeeping,  care  for  the  sick, 
and  in  special  instances,  French,  English,  and  gym- 
nastics. In  the  larger  towns  in  which  there  is  neither 
a  Realschule  nor  a  Gymnasium,  there  may  be  a 
Burgher,  or  a  citizen's  school.  These  are  of  two 
grades,  a  higher  and  a  lower.  They  prepare  their 
puj)ils  either  for  the  Realschule,  the  Gymnasium, 
or  for  business.  They  often  take  the  place  of  the 
pro-gymnasial  schools,  in  which  for  three  or  four 
years,  the  boy  is  drilled  in  the  elements  of  education. 
Instruction  is  thorough  and  systematic.  Whatever 
is  done,  is  done  so  well  that  it  need  not  be  done 
again.  Although  a  university  education  is  not  neces- 
sary in  order  to  obtain  a  teacher's  position,  unless  a 
graduate,  one  must  si)end  three  years  in  a  teachers' 
seminary,  at  the  end  of  that  time  submit  to  an  exam- 
ination, and  if  approved  be  content  to  begin  v.'ork 
wherever  there  is  an  opening.  The  examination  is 
repeated  after  a  few  years  of  service,  so  that  no  one 
who  is  incompetent  may  be  retained  in  the  schools. 
For  a  male  teacher,  the  minimum  salary  is  $250  a 
year,  the  maximum,  $1,500.  There  are  some  perquis- 
ites as  well  as  some  opportunities  for  extra  teaching, 
so  that  with  the  greater  value  of  money  in  Germany 
than  in  the  United  States,  the  salary  is  not  so  small 
as  at  first  appears.  The  Empire  abounds  in  private 
schools,  as  well  as  in  house,  or  home  schools,  in 
which  persons  of  the  highest  attainments  are  often 
employed.  Private  teaching  is  a  favorite  occupation 
for  a  young  minister  while  waiting  for  a  parish. 

For   those  boys  who  are  looking  forward  to   the 
university,  and  a  professional  life,  there  are,  as  has 


INTELLECTUAL  TRAINING  45 

been  said,  the  pro-gymnasial  schools  in  which  the 
pupil  remains  till  he  is  nine  or  ten  j^ears  of  age,  and 
from  which  he  can  pass,  according  to  his  aim  in  life, 
either    to    the  Bealschiile  or    to  the    Gymnasium, 
properly  so=^called.     The  Gymnasium  is  the  charac 
teristic  school  of  Germany.     Here  is  the  place  where 
the  foundations  of  scholarship  are  laid,  where  the  hard 
work  is  done  which  produces  the  results  which  we  so 
much  admire  as  they  appear  later  in  life.    The  course 
of  study  is  nearly  the  same  in  every  one  of  the  hun- 
dreds of  Gymnasia  which  Germany  supports.    It  is  as 
thorough  as  it  can  be  made,  and  cannot  easily  be 
shortened,  either  by  hard  study  or  superior  ability. 
It  extends  through  a  period  of  nine  or  ten  years,  or 
from  the  age  of  nine  or  ten,  to  that  of  eighteen  or 
nineteen.    Many  do  not  complete  the  course  till  some 
years  older.     The  subjects  taught  are  those  which 
are    taught   in    our    high    schools,   academies,   and 
colleges,   so    that   graduation   from   them   is   nearly 
tantamount,  save  in  the  superiority  of  their  discipline, 
to  graduation  from  one  of  our  smaller  colleges.     The 
study  of  the  classical  tongues,  with  mathematics,  is 
made   prominent;   although   other  subjects,   history 
(ancient  and  modern),  philosophy,  literature,  science, 
and  modern  languages  are  not  neglected.     Regular 
instruction,  for  a  fixed  number  of  hours  each  week, 
is  given  in  religion  and  in  the  Scriptures.     To  be  the 
head  of  a  Gymnasium  is  a  great  honor.     A  few  of 
these  Gymnasia  are  richly  endowed   and   receive  a 
limited  number  of  pupils  without  cost.     In  general, 
the  cost  of  tuition  is  about  twenty^five  dollars  a  year. 
The  Realschule  is  a  Gymnasium  for  practical  life. 
Greek  and  Hebrew  are  drox^ped  from  the  list  of 


46  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

studies.  The  time  given  to  Latin  is  shortened. 
More  attention  is  paid  to  modern  languages,  and  to 
those  subjects  which  we  make  prominent  in  our 
manual  training  schools.  Those  who  desire,  take  a 
course  of  study  which  prepares  them  for  the  scientific 
lectures  in  the  University,  and  for  the  study  of  subjects 
which  do  not  depend  upon  a  knowledge  of  the  clas- 
sics. Some  take  a  course  which  prepares  for  busi- 
ness, and  for  those  professions  whose  final  training 
is  obtained  in  special  schools  like  those  in  forestry, 
mining,  metallurgy.  The  Rcalschide  is  growing  in 
favor  and  is  meeting  the  demand  for  practical  teaching 
which  prevails  among  Germans,  as  well  as  among 
Americans.  Special,  or  technical  schools,  are  numer- 
ous and  excellent.  A  course  in  them  usually  occui^ies 
three  years. 

But  the  crown  and  glory  of  the  German  system  of 
education  is  the  University.  When  fully  equipped  it 
has  four  faculties,  one  for  philosophy  and  the  arts, 
one  for  law,  one  for  medicine,  and  one  for  theology. 
In  a  few  of  (he  Universities  there  are  both  Protestant 
and  Koman  Catholic  theological  faculties;  in  others 
only  a  Koman  Catholic,  or  a  Protestant  faculty.  In 
recent  years  provision  has  been  made  for  thorough 
instruction  in  science,  theoretical  and  experimental. 
The  University  is  the  finishing  school  in  intellectual 
training.  Its  purpose  is  to  impart  knowledge,  and  to 
stimulate  a  desire  for  independent  research.  Pro- 
fessors are  under  no  restraint  of  creed  or  religion. 
They  are  required  to  teach  the  truth  as  they  see  it, 
and  are  expected  to  know  all  that  can  be  known  about 
the  subjects  that  fall  within  the  scope  of  their  dej)art- 
ments.    They  receive  a  certain  sum  from  the  govern- 


INTELLECTUAL  TRAININO  4ff 

ment,  which  makes  an  annual  grant  to  the  universities 
of  the  nation,  and  also,  wholly  or  in  good  part,  the 
fees  which  come  from  the  students  who  attend  their 
lectures.     For  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy, 
the  most  coveted  of  all  degrees  given  by  the  univer- 
sities, a  course  of  four  years  in  Philosophy  and  the 
Arts,  is  required,  with  an  examination  at  the  end  of 
the  course,  which  is  a  real  test  of  merit,  and  an  essay 
on  a  subject   which  proves   one's  ability   to  make 
original  investigations,  and  to  present  their  results  in 
a  form  suitable  for  publication.    Instruction  is  usually 
given  by  lectures,  of  which  the  student  takes  full 
notes,  and  in  a  Seminar,  or  a  gathering  of  yonng  men 
from  the  classes  of  the  professor,  who  are  willing  to 
do  original  work  under  his  direction.     The  lectures, 
however,  are  of  a  character  to  excite  a  desire  to  read 
a  great  deal  upon  the  topics  discussed,  and  to  render 
the   services  of    a  private  teacher  {privat  Doccnt) 
necessary  and  valuable.     From  this  position  of  2^ru 
tiat  Docent  most  of  the  more  distinguished  German 
professors   have   risen  to   the   chairs   they  now  fill. 
Students  of  law,  medicine,  and  theology  are  examined 
at  the  end  of  their  university  course  by  a  board  of 
experts  in  each  j)rofession,  which  has  authority  to 
pronounce   upon   their   fitness  or   unfitness  for  the 
positions  they  desire  to  fill.     In  Berlin,  these  exami. 
nations  are  severe.     They  are  lenient  nowhere.     The 
young  medical  student  who  has  passed  his  exami- 
nation  is    often    sent    to  a    hospital,   or  if  he  has 
received  aid  from  the  state,  to  the  Army,  where  he  is 
obliged  to  remain   some  years  before  venturing  to 
practice  on  his  ov/n  account.     The  young  lawyer  is 
generally  required  to  serve  a  sort  of  a^Dprenticeship 


48  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

before  he  is  permitted  to  begin  life  as  an  independ- 
ent counsellor.  On  leaving  the  University,  the 
young  theologian  takes  his  first  examination,  and  if 
approved  by  the  board  of  examiners  which  the  author- 
ities of  the  Church  have  appointed,  may  become  an 
assistant  of  a  city  or  a  country  pastor,  or  a  teacher 
in  some  rich  man's  family,  or  in  a  parish  school. 
Four  subjects  are  assigned  him  for  private  study. 
These  call  for  about  four  months'  work.  At  the 
end  of  a  year  and  a  half  he  is  ready  for  his 
second  examination,  which  is  partly  written  and  part- 
ly oral,  and  occupies  three  days.  If  successful,  the 
young  man  may  preach  in  vacant  pulpits,  assist  pas- 
tors in  the  public  service,  and  announce  himself  as  a 
candidate  for  settlement.  But  before  this  he  must 
have  completed  a  course  of  study  in  a  Preacher's  Sem- 
inary of  longer  or  shorter  duration,  according  to  the 
attainment  of  the  student.  He  may  wait  months, 
even  years,  for  a  parish.  Vacancies  are  not  as  numerous 
in  Germany,  as  in  some  other  parts  of  the  world, 
while  for  every  desirable  vacancy  there  are  many  ap- 
plicants. If  the  candidate  should  tire  of  waiting,  he 
may  continue  to  teach,  become  a  chaplain  in  some 
benevolent  institution  or  in  the  army,  emigrate  to  a 
German  colony,  or  be  assigned  to  America.  As  he 
does  not  marry  till  he  has  an  appointment,  the  long 
period  of  waiting  often  becomes  very  trying.  In  the 
country,  where  the  first  settlement  is  commonly  found, 
the  salary  is  $450  a  year,  which  is  supplemented,  or- 
dinarily, with  a  house,  rent  free,  and  a  garden.  Every 
five  years  the  salary  is  increased  $125  a  year,  till  it 
reaches  a  maximum  of  $900.  A  few  parishes  are  en- 
dowed, and  in  these  instances  the  incumbent  receives 


INTELLECTUAL  TRAINING  49 

a  very  much  larger  income.  While  no  minister  is 
obliged  to  remain  in  the  charge  first  obtained,  he  has 
the  assurance  that  as  long  as  he  behaves  himself  he 
cannot  be  driven  from  it  at  the  whim  of  a  parishioner 
iivho  thinks  the  minister  too  pointed  in  his  sermons, 
or  not  pointed  enough,  and  that  a  change  would  be 
beneficial.  The  income  is  increased  by  fees  from 
weddings,  funerals,  bax)tisms,  and  confirmations. 
Although  there  are  special  schools  for  students  of  the- 
ology, and  institutions  for  the  training  of  evangelists 
and  missionaries,  there  are  no  short  cuts  into  the 
ministry  of  the  National  Churches.  Yv^hen  recognized 
as  a  pastor,  a  man  has  a  place  of  honor,  usefulness, 
and  power,  which  increases  in  importance  with  his 
years.  Neither  in  this  profession,  nor  in  any  other, 
do  the  Germans  believe  in  allowing  their  men  to  quit 
work  while  in  good  health,  and  in  the  full  possession 
of  their  mental  faculties. 

The  estimate  which  Germans  put  upon  education  is 
manifest  in  the  time  they  devote  to  its  acquisition, 
and  in  the  system  of  schools  they  have  called  into  ex- 
istence in  order  to  impart  it.  Save  in  the  lower 
grades,  the  schools  are  not  free.  Few,  however, 
who  really  desire  it,  are  debarred  by  poverty  from 
study.  There  are  scholarships,  grants  for  those  who 
need  them,  and  such  other  aid  as  professors  know 
how  to  obtain  for  favorite,  or  promising  students. 
Money  is  sometimes  earned  by  private  teaching  while 
at  the  University.  For  young  men  like  Martin  Luther, 
or  the  Chevalier  von  Bunsen,  there  are  always  ways 
to  get  on. 

The  schools  of  Germany  have  never  been  fuller 
than  they  are  nov»%    The  Universities  have  never  beeij 


50  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

better  patronized,  or  better  manned.  The  love  of 
learning,  in  the  heart  of  what  may  be  called  Germany's 
scholarly  class,  has  never  been  stronger  than  it  is  to= 
day.  Parents  were  never  readier  to  sacrifice  their  own 
comfort  in  order  that  their  children  may  obtain  the  best 
possible  education.  They  begin  to  save  for  this  pur- 
pose as  soon  as  the  child  is  born.  It  is  not  surprising 
that  in  no  other  country  there  should  be  so  large  a 
class  of  men  whose  intellectual  discipline  has  been  of 
the  first  order,  and  who  are  so  competent  to  act  as 
teachers  for  the  entire  world.  Nowhere  else  is  learn- 
ing so  prized  for  its  own  sake,  or  such  pains  taken  to 
find  out  hov/  best  to  impart  it  to  others. 

It  is  easy  to  criticise  a  system  of  education  like 
that  which  we  meet  iu  Germany.  It  is  vast,  compli- 
cated, almost  unchangeable.  At  times  it  seems  to 
work  hardship  to  the  pupil,  to  fail  in  furnishing  stim- 
ulus for  the  development  of  individual  tastes,  to  de- 
stroy spontaneity;  but  when  we  see  what  this  training 
machine  has  accomplished  in  the  hands  of  those  who 
have  invented  it,  and  who  use  it,  we  feel  as  if  silence 
were  more  becoming  than  criticism.  Yet  we  are  war- 
ranted in  saying  that  in  one  respect  the  German  sys- 
tem is  weak.  It  has  not  provided  for  the  girls  of  the 
nation  as  generously  and  as  carefully  as  it  has  pro- 
vided for  the  boys.  It  has  seemed  to  look  upon  the 
training  of  girls  as  of  less  importance  than  that  of 
boys.  This  is  due  to  the  prevailing  opinion  that  wo- 
man is  inferior  to  man,  or  that  her  education  should  be 
less  extensive,  and  less  thorough,  than  his.  A  fairly 
good  education  may  be  obtained  in  what  are  known 
as  Daughter  Schools,  and  Higher  Girls'  Schools,  but 
a  Vassar  or  a  Wellesley,  a  Smith,  or  a  South  Hadley, 


INTELLECTUAL  TRAINING  61 

cannot  be  found  in  the  German  Empire,  With  the 
exception  of  the  University  at  Zurich,  not  a  German 
speaking  university  is  fully  open  to  women.  In  dis- 
regard of  the  rules,  a  few  professors  have  permitted 
women  to  listen  to  their  lectures;  but  neither  in  the 
Healschule  nor  in  the  Gymnasium,  nor  in  the  Uni- 
versity, can  they  be  received  as  regular  students.  Few 
German  women  have  as  yet  availed  themselves  of  the 
privilege  of  attending  lectures  in  the  University.  The 
women  one  sometimes  meets  in  the  lecture  rooms 
are  found,  on  enquiry,  to  be  from  England,  or 
from  the  United  States.  The  day  of  woman's 
rights  has  not  yet  dawned  in  the  Fatherland.  Thanks 
to  the  Empress  Frederick,  and  a  few  like-minded  per- 
sons, better  schools  for  young  women  are  now  spring- 
ing up.  In  such  establishments  as  the  Victoria  In- 
stitute in  Berlin,  a  woman  may  pursue  her  studies  to 
almost  any  extent  she  desires.  That  Germany  will 
long  remain  behind  English  speaking  nations,  in  pro- 
viding for  the  education  of  her  daughters,  is  improb- 
able. When  that  provision  has  been  made,  the  intel- 
lectual life  of  the  people  will  rise  to  heights  hitherto 
unknown. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  LIFE  OF  GERMANY. 

It  is  never  safe  for  a  foreigner  to  pronounce  au- 
thoritatively ux3on  the  moral  or  religious  condition  of 
a  country  in  which  he  only  temporarily  resides. 
While  there  can  be  no  divergence  of  opinion  on  fun- 
damental principles,  on  many  important  matters 
standards  differ  in  different  countries.  What  would 
be  wrong  in  the  judgment  of  an  American  may  seem 
entirely  right  to  a  German.  Impressions,  however, 
are  made  and  inferences  drawn,  for  which  there  may 
be  more  or  less  justification.  Some  of  these  impres- 
sions are  given  in  the  present  chapter. 

Both  the  moral  and  the  religious  conditions  of  the 
peox)lo  seem  to  bo  inherited.  Tradition  is  a  powerful 
agent  in  determining  popular  views.  What  the 
fathers  have  believed,  the  children  believe,  or  hesitate 
ojjenly  to  reject.  Birth  and  education  have  no 
small  part  in  determining  one's  attitude  toward 
religion.  Not  many  are  willing  to  confess  that 
they  have  no  religion.  According  to  the  census 
of  1890,  only  a  few  more  than  13,000  people 
would  permit  themselves  to  bo  registered  as  with- 
out faith  in  God.  The  majority  of  the  people 
are,  nominally,  members  either  of  the  Roman 
Catholic,  or  of  the  Protestant  Church.  There  are 
just  about  twice   as  many  Protestants    as  Roman- 

52 


MORAL  LIFE  53 

ists.  Protestants  are  to  some  extent  divided  into 
sects,  although  the  majority  are  found  in  the  nation- 
al or  provincial  Church.  About  1,300,000  Old  Luth- 
erans are  found  in  the  census  returns.  There  are 
also  a  small  number  of  Moravians,  perhaps  two  score 
thousand  Baptists  and  Methodists,  a  still  smaller 
number  of  Anglicans,  a  few  thousand  Old  Catholics, 
a  few  Mennonites,  and  about  three  quarters  of  a  mil- 
lion Jews.  All  sects  are  tolerated  by  the  govern- 
ment, although  there  is  really  little  respect  for  them 
on  the  part  either  of  the  clergy  or  of  the  people. 
Men  like  Count  Bernstorff  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that 
the  sects  are  without  much  influence,  although  he 
and  other  generous=minded  Lutherans  v/ould  not 
deny  that  the  piety  of  those  who  have  been  gathered 
into  the  Baptist  and  Methodist  churches  has  reacted 
oa  the  State  Church  and  led  its  members  to  place 
more  stress  than  formerly  upon  the  "  new  birth  "  as  a 
pre-requisite  to  receiving  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper. 

Very  largely,  as  has  been  said,  is  membership  in 
the  Church  looked  upon  as  natural  and  inevitable. 
As  the  parent  has  the  child  baptised  in  infancy,  it 
follovv's,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  the  child,  at  the 
proper  age  will  be  confirmed,  and  enter  upon  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties  as  a  Church  member.  There  is 
no  good  reason  why  he  should  not.  The  system  of 
faith  he  receives  is  intellectual  in  its  nature,  can  be 
put  into  a  form  of  v^7ords,  is  easily  committed  to  mem- 
ory, and  made  to  do  duty  through  life.  Very  few 
even  of  the  more  spiritually  minded  among  the  pas- 
tors have  any  correct  understanding  of  what  we  mean 
by  revivals  of  religion,  or  of  regeneration,  as  a  pre- 


54  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

requisite  to  Church  membership.  They  look  upon 
those  who  claim  to  have  been  converted  in  a  revival, 
or  who  advocate  revivals,  as  fanatics,  who  destroy  the 
intellectual  basis  of  religion,  turn  it  into  a  mere  emo- 
tion, and  rob  it  of  its  power.  In  such  circumstances 
it  cannot  be  expected  that  attendance  upon  Church 
services  would  be  universal,  or  even  regular,  though 
there  be  no  set  purpose  to  neglect  them.  If  religion 
consists,  as  in  so  many  minds  it  does,  in  the  intellect- 
ual acceptance  of  certain  statements  of  doctrine,  and 
in  conduct  which  harmonizes  with  the  requirements 
of  the  State,  of  society,  and  of  the  Word  of  God, 
then,  as  there  is  no  reason  for  giving  emotion  or  the 
feelings  any  place  in  Christian  experience,  so  there 
is  no  reason  wdiy  one  should  attend  Church  in  order 
to  strengthen  one's  faith,  or  to  persuade  one's  self  to 
do  one's  duty.  Duty  admits  of  no  delay  or  excuse. 
Duty  must  be  done.  The  only  question  is,  What  is  duty  ? 
The  answer  of  the  average  Church  member  would  be, 
"Believe  in  God,  in  His  Word,  attend  His  house  of 
worship  a  few  times  each  year,  go  to  the  communion 
at  least  annually,  and,  while  being  true  to  one's  call- 
ing in  life,  love  one's  neighbor  as  one's  self  and  God 
supremely."  To  be  a  Christian,  and  to  emphasize 
the  principles  which  Christ  brought  to  light,  is  to 
live  as  the  good  of  society  demands,  to  obey  law,  to 
act  out  the  principles  of  one's  better  nature.  Relig- 
ion is  ethical  rather  than  spiritual,  formal  rather  than 
experimental,  a  matter  of  deeds,  rather  than  of  life 
and  character.  When  the  claim  is  made  that  the  na- 
tion is  Christian,  it  is  meant  that  its  laws,  customs, 
social  and  literary  institutions,  in  their  ethical  basis, 
are  Christian,  rather  than  heathen;  not  that  its  indi- 


MORAL  LIFE  66 

vidual  citizens  have  consciously  entered  into  fellow- 
ship with  Christ  and  put  themselves  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  Holy  Spirit.  More  truly,  perhaps,  than  in 
any  other  nation  can  the  claim  be  maintained  that  in 
Germany,  law,  literature,  the  drama,  and  the  every- 
day life  of  the  people,  are  saturated  with  Christian 
principle,  have  received  a  Christian  flavor,  have  been 
baptised  with  a  Christian  name.  Not  much  is  made 
of  religion  by  way  of  public  service,  save  on  the 
Lord's  Day,  and  on  great  occasions. 

In  the  Universities  no  theological  professor  thinks 
of  opening  his  lectures  with  prayer,  as  in  our  semi- 
naries for  the  training  of  ^oung  men  for  the  ministry. 
Nor  in  these  great  schools  are  there,  even  for  theolog- 
ical students,  anything  like  the  "prayers"  of  our  col- 
leges, or  social  meetings  for  the  cultivation  of  one's 
spiritual  life.  There  are  "  unions  "  of  a  few  students 
for  the  consideration  of  spiritual  topics,  but  the 
larger  number  of  these  unions,  even  among  students  for 
the  ministry,  are  intellectual  in  their  nature.  Life  in 
the  other  departments  of  the  University,  as  well  as  in 
professional  and  technical'  schools,  though  not  openly 
infidel,  is  yet  practically  godless.  Neither  teacher 
nor  student  expresses  his  religious  faith,  if  he  cher- 
ishes any,  in  religious  worship,  nor,  except  on  rare 
occasions,  is  he  seen  in  the  house  of  God.  The  Ger- 
man pastor  does  not  count  upon  their  assistance  in 
his  Christian  work.  Yet  neither  teacher  nor  student 
would  avow  himself  an  unbeliever.  Each  has  re- 
ceived a  religion  which  satisfies  his  intellect,  and 
thinks  it  unneccessary  to  make  any  provision  for  the 
feelings. 

While  it  is  generally  true  that  theological  profes- 


66  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

sors  attend  Church  with  tolerable  regularity,  as  much 
cannot  be  said  of  theological  students.  Everyv/here 
there  seems  to  be  a  tendency  to  identify  morality 
with  religion,  and  to  make  little  of  the  forms  of 
worship.  Many  do  not  come  to  Church  till  the 
liturgy  is  over.  Sunday  is  a  day  of  pleasure  as  well 
as  of  worship.  It  is  held  in  no  such  reverence  as  in 
Great  Britain  and  her  colonies.  In  Berlin,  and 
throughout  the  country,  morning  service  is  fairly  well 
attended,  although  by  a  relatively  small  percentage 
of  the  people,  save  among  Roman  Catholics.  Yet 
the  Churches  are  usually  full.  In  the  evening  at- 
tendance is  scant,  and  is  confined  more  to  the  work- 
ing classes,  although  popular  preachers  attract  large 
audiences  in  the  evening  as  well  as  in  the  morning. 
The  more  popular  preachers  are,  with  few  exceptions, 
strictly  evangelical  in  their  belief.  The  people  seem 
to  want  to  hear  an  orthodox  gospel,  and  to  care  little 
for  essays  or  doctrinal  discussions. 

One  of  the  crying  evils  in  Berlin,  and  in  some 
other  large  cities,  has  been  a  lack  of  Church  build- 
ings. It  has  been  impossible,  even  for  those  who 
care  to  attend  Church,  to  find  a  seat  within  the 
edifice.  Within  the  last  few  years  this  want  of 
Church  accommodation  in  the  capital  has,  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  been  remedied.  Thirty  or  forty  new 
houses  of  worship,  large  and  convenient,  have  been 
erected,  chiefly  through  the  influence  of  the  Emperor 
and  the  friends  he  has  been  able  to  interest  in  the 
project.  Doubtless  public  moneys  have  been  used  to 
some  extent,  although  lotteries,  fairs,  and  special 
appeals  have  contributed  their  quota  toward  the  cost. 
The  presence  of  the  royal  family  at  the  laying  of  the 


MORAL  LIFE  67 

corner  stones  of  these  new  structures,  and  at  their 
dedication,  the  well  known  piety  of  the  Empress,  and 
the  example  of  the  Emperor  in  attending  divine 
service,  once  a  Sabbath  at  least,  have  had  a  whole- 
some influence  on  the  people. 

It  is  said  by  persons  who  have  made  careful  exami- 
nation, that  only  about  one=  third  of  those  who  die  in 
Berlin  in  any  given  year,  are  buried  with  religious 
services.  This  may  be  due,  in  part,  to  the  cost  of  these 
services.  A  more  decisive  reason,  however,  is  indif- 
ference. The  Socialists,  who  are  in  the  majority  in 
Berlin,  are  avowedly  indifferent  to  religion,  although 
they  are  far  from  being  wholly  given  up  to  infidelity. 
They  do  not  feel  kindly  toward  either  the  clergy  or 
the  Church,  partly  because  both  are  connected  with 
the  State,  and  partly  because  Sunday  is  their  day  of 
pleasure,  and  the  day  uxoon  which  they  meet,  as  do  so 
many  labor  unions  in  the  United  States,  for  the  dis- 
cussion of  matters  which  affect  them  financially  or 
have  relation  to  their  employers. 

Nevertheless  one  would  greatly  err,  were  one  to 
conclude  that  the  Lutheran  Church  in  Germany  is 
dead  or  indifferent  to  the  moral  and  spiritual  welfare 
of  its  members.  Nowhere  in  the  world  is  the  Eoman 
Catholic  Church  doing  better  work.  Its  relation  to 
Protestantism  makes  this  necessary.  The  zeal  of 
Romanism  reacts  upon  Protestants,  so  that  both  are 
benefited  by  spiritual  competition.  Of  the  Home 
and  Foreign  Mission  work  of  these  Churches  we  shall 
speak  in  subsequent  chapters.  It  may  suffice  to  say 
here  that  one  cannot  rightly  charge  Protestant  paa- 
tors  with  indifference.  Some  are  more  earnest  than 
others,  less  perfunctory  in  the  discharge  of  their  du- 


58  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

ties.  As  a  rule,  all  are  outwardly  faithful.  They 
shirk  no  obligations  which  are  laid  upon  them.  Nor 
do  they  hesitate  to  hold  as  many  religious  services, 
public  and  private,  as  the  people  will  attend.  Not  a 
few  pastors  in  rural  districts,  during  a  part  of  the 
year,  give  up  three  or  four  evenings  a  week  to  the 
religious  instruction  of  their  young  people.  They 
strive  also  to  prepare  the  people,  by  private  conversa- 
tion, for  the  Lord's  Supper.  As  a  rule,  sermons  are 
simple,  straightforward  presentations  of  Gospel 
truth.  If  there  are  few  Spurgeons  or  Beechers  in  the 
German  puli)it,  there  are  Dryanders,  Frommels, 
Brauns,  and  Stoeckors,  whom  the  multitude  delight 
to  hear.  But  sermons  are  the  smallest  part  of  a 
pastor's  obligations  toward  his  people.  He  lives  for 
them.  He  is  their  friend  and  helper  in  whatever 
direction  they  need  aid  or  sympathy.  Sunday 
Schools  are  coming  into  vogue,  or  rather  substitutes 
for  them.  As  young  men  and  young  women,  prior  to 
marriage,  are  not  allowed  to  mingle  freely  with  each 
other,  save  in  the  presence  of  older  people,  or  when 
solemnly  betrothed,  it  is  difficult  to  form  Sunday 
Schools,  or  Societies  of  Christian  Endeavor.  Young 
men  and  young  women  are  therefore  compelled  to 
meet  their  pastor  separately  for  religious  instruction. 
Among  young  men,  societies  have  been  multiplying 
of  late,  which  may  be  called  Young  Men's  Christian 
Associations.  Many  faithful  women  are  gathering 
the  younger  children,  on  Sunday,  for  Biblical  instruc- 
tion. Considering  the  circumstances  in  which  he  is 
placed,  the  average  pastor  does  as  well  as  can  be  ex- 
pected of  him,  at  least  until  there  is  a  spiritual 
awakening  in  other  lands  of  which  he  shall  hear,  and 


MORAL  LIFE  69 

of  which  he  and  his  people  shall  feel  the  influence. 
From  what  has  been  said  concerning  the  intellect- 
ual training  of  the  German  people,  it  will  be  inferred 
that  there  is  great  diversity  of  opinion  among  them 
on  almost  all  subjects  of  human  thought.  With 
such  love  for  intellectual  pursuits,  such  opi^ortunities 
for  them,  such  thoroughness  of  intellectual  discipline, 
such  emphasis  laid  on  the  duty  of  fearlessness  and 
constancy  in  the  effort  to  discover  truth,  there  must 
inevitably  be  great  differences  of  theological  opinion, 
even  where  there  is  substantial  agreement  in  funda- 
mental princiijles.  In  nothing  is  this  more  clearly 
seen  than  in  the  variety  of  views  held  by  members  of 
the  same  Church,  and  by  pastors  equally  zealous  and 
consecrated,  concerning  the  doctrines  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  the  nature,  the  meaning,  and  the  value 
of  the  Word  of  God.  Few  of  these  critical  students 
are  willing  to  avow  themselves  unbelievers  or  even 
agnostics.  As  Christians  they  claim  the  right  to 
reason  upon  the  data  which  scholarship  furnishes 
them.  When  so=called  discoveries  of  truth  are  made 
they  put  these  discoveries  to  the  severest  tests  before 
accepting  them  as  trustworthy.  As  criticism  of  the 
government  is  somewhat  dangerous,  as  the  field  of 
practical  statesmanship  is  substantially  closed  to  the 
majority  of  the  thinking  men  of  the  nation,  and  as 
the  doctrines  of  the  Church  and  the  opinions  of  its 
living  teachers  are  of  the  deepest  interest  to  all  who 
proft-ss  to  believe  the  revelations  of  the  Christian 
religion,  it  is  not  strange  that  these  doctrines  and 
opinions,  together  with  literature,  science,  art,  music 
and  the  drama,  should  occupy  a  place  in  the  thought- 
ful mind  not  accorded  them  in  countries  where  the 


60  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

press  is  free,  where  the  principles  of  government  and 
the  acts  of  its  representatives  are  fearlessly  discussed 
and  where  the  mind  can  exercise  its  privilege  of 
selecting  such  objects  for  study  or  criticism  as  may 
suit  it  best.  Intellectual  activity  like  that  in  Germany 
cannot  be  repressed.  Shut  off  from  its  legitimate  ex- 
ercise in  one  direction,  it  will  open  channels  for 
itself  in  another.  If  criticism  of  a  human  govern- 
ment is  iDroliibited  or  restricted,  greater  liberty  will 
be  taken  in  criticizing  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 

As  to  moral  life  in  Germany  there  is  a  wide  diver- 
gence of  opinion.  Some,  whose  opportunities  for 
observation  have  been  exceedingly  good,  report  un- 
favorably. Others  again,  whose  opinions  are  entitled 
to  the  highest  respect,  assert  that  morals  are  not  low- 
er than  in  the  same  classes  in  the  United  States.  In 
either  country  there  is  a  large  number  of  people  who 
are  kept  from  wrongs  doing  only  by  the  prevailing 
sentiment  of  society,  or  by  fear  of  punishment.  The 
moral  problems  in  the  two  countries  are  largely  the 
same.  Intemperance,  which  in  some  sections  of  Ger- 
many is  said  to  be  increasing,  shows  itself  less  than 
on  this  side  the  Atlantic.  The  amount  of  beer  and 
wine  consumed  is  enormous.  Nor  is  it  diminishing 
although  many  wise  and  earnest  men  are  advocating 
total  abstinence,  and  by  judicious  publications  are 
striving  to  show  how  much  better  it  would  be  to  em- 
ploy the  money  exx^ended  for  beer  and  wine  for 
BomiCthing  more  nourishing.  So  long  as  the  staple 
article  of  food  for  the  common  people  is  black  bread, 
it  is  hardly  probable  that  the  use  of  beer  will  be 
given  up.     A  grave  and  pressing  danger  is  the  temp- 


MORAL  LIFE  61 

tatioii  to  substitute  for  beer  a  cheap  kind  of  drink, 
wliicli  is  both  intoxicating  and  injurious  in  its  effect 
on  the  system.  Earnest  efforts  are  now  put  forth  to 
prevent  the  people  from  using  the  wretched  beverage 
known  as  Brant v^ein. 

The  Social  Evil,  though  not  licensed,  is  put  under 
police  inspection  and  control.     It  exists  everywhere, 
certainly  in  all  large  towns,  and   everywhere   makes 
its   baleful  effects  visible.      Although    the    woman 
whose  steps  take  hold  on  death  is  not  often  seen  on 
the  streets,  her  habitation  is  known  and  easily  found. 
According  to  the  reports  published  in  Berlin,  about 
one^seventh    of  all    births    in    the  city  are  illegiti- 
mate.    This  means  that  many  parents  who  by  com- 
mon law,   in  the  state  of   New   York,   for   example, 
would  be  regarded  as  husband  and  v/ife,  by  reason  of 
non-compliance  with  legal  forms,   are   treated  as   if 
outside  the  pale  of  married  life.     Hence,  while  the 
number  of  children   born   outside   the   sanctions  of 
wedlock  is  large,  it  is  not  so  large  as  the   police   re- 
ports make  it  appear.     One  of  the  purposes  of  the 
Berlin  City  Mission  is  to  persuade  persons  who  have 
been,  or  are,  living  together,  to  be  legally   married, 
and  thus  secure  legitimacy  for   their   children.     As 
these  children  cannot  be  confirmed  unless  baptised, 
or  married  in  the  Church  unless  their  certificates  of 
baptism  be  produced,  it  is  of  more  importance  than 
would  at   first    appear   that   this  legitimization   for 
children  be  secured.     The  presence  of  large  bodies  of 
soldiers  near  a  city  always  has  a  malign  influence  on 
large  numbers  of  young  women.     Nor   is   the  influ- 
ence of  University  students  wholly  good.     Marriages, 
long  deferred  on  account  of  a  lack  of  income,  are  also 


62  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

unfavorable  to  virtue.  Nor  can  one  avoid  the  feeling 
that,  for  some  reason,  sins  against  chastity  are  less 
severely  condemned  in  Germany  than  in  the  United 
States.  Very  serious,  too,  for  the  morals  of  the 
people  are  the  licensed  lotteries,  which  are  so  univer- 
sally patronized.  Government  sanctions  them,  and 
obtains  a  portion  of  its  revenues  from  them.  They 
are  resorted  to  for  every  kind  of  object.  It  is  not 
thought  improper  to  raise  money  for  the  building  of 
a  Church  by  means  of  a  lottery.  The  amount  of 
money  which  goes  into  the  coflPers  of  lottery  estab- 
lishments can  hardly  be  estimated.  The  people  are 
kept  in  a  state  of  excitement  nearly  all  the  time,  and 
if  they  fail  to  draw,  as  most  do,  they  are  encouraged 
to  try  again,  in  the  hope  of  better  luck.  It  is  impossi- 
ble that  there  should  be  as  healthy  a  moral  tone  in  a 
community  where  the  effort  to  secure  something  for 
nothing,  or  for  less  than  its  real  value,  is  encouraged, 
as  there  is  in  a  state  of  society  where  such  an  effort 
is  treated  with  the  condemnation  we  believe  it 
deserves. 

There  is  apparently  more  respect  for  law  in  Ger- 
many than  in  America.  In  Germany  laws  are  made 
to  be  kept.  The  cities  are  so  governed  as  to  make  it 
comfortable,  convenient,  and  safe  to  live  in  them. 
They  are  governed  for  the  benefit  of  their  inhabitants, 
and  not  for  the  sake  of  office-holders.  The  records 
show  fewer  murders  than  in  the  United  States,  and  a 
somewhat  lower  per  cent,  of  crime.  This  may  be 
because  the  population  of  Germany  is  so  nearly  ho- 
mogeneous, and  because  the  newspapers  are  not  per- 
mitted to  publish  the  sickening  details  of  crime. 
Still,  even  Germany  has  her  epidemics  of  suicides, 


MORAL  LIFE  68 

murders,  thefts,  and  embezzlements.  Her  prisons 
are  v>-ell  filled.  A  good  deal  of  attention  is  given  to 
the  f)roblems  of  prison  reform,  and  with  encouraging 
results.  As  a  rule  Germans  are  honest.  One  can 
safely  trust  their  word.  They  are,  moreover,  honest 
as  public  officials.  They  are  afiirmed  to  be  incor- 
ruptible. It  is  affirmed,  also,  that  bribes  are  un- 
known, that  courts  are  places  where  the  law  is  actu- 
ally administered,  and  where  its  officers  make  for 
themselves  a  reputation  for  integrity  and  virtue. 
The  public  money  is  never  wasted  save  by  mistake. 

Patriotism  is  intense  and  universal.  It  shows  itself 
no  less  in  the  faithful  discharge  of  small  duties  than 
in  those  which  are  larger  and  more  conspicuous.  If 
there  are  some  lapses  in  Germany  from  what  we 
regard  as  a  high  and  sound  moral  standard,  judged  by 
other  standards,  her  attainments  in  virtue  are  not 
inferior  to  those  of  other  countries,  and  countries,  too, 
where  Christian  life  seems  to  be  more  vigorous  and 
self^asserting. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SOCIAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  MOVEMENTS  IN  GERMANY. 

The  religious  condition  of  a  country  is  determined 
very  largely  by  its  social  and  industrial  life.  Each 
acts  and  reacts  upon  the  other.  That  the  German 
people  upon  the  whole  are  believers  in  the  divine 
origin  of  Christianity  tends  to  produce  contentment 
and  to  render  the  problems  of  their  government  sim- 
pler than  they  would  be  otherwise.  While  the  leaders 
of  the  Social  Democracy  are  looked  upon  as  danger- 
ous agitators,  v/ho  are  seeking  the  overthrow  of  the 
government,  or  at  any  rate  a  change  in  its  form,  and 
are  held  to  be  the  enemies  of  social  order,  hostile  to 
any  possession  of  property  which  is  not  under  their 
control,  it  is  not  probable  that  anything  like  a  major- 
ity of  the  rank  and  file  of  this  Social  Democracy,  has 
any  desire  to  bring  about  a  revolution  either  in  the 
forms  of  society  or  in  government. 

The  natural  conservatism  of  the  German  citizen 
counterbalances  his  intense  love  of  personal  liberty, 
and  makes  him  shrink  from  any  course  which  will 
change  customs  which  have  come  down  to  him  from 
the  past,  or  overthrow  a  form  of  government  which 
has  done  his  country  good  service.  He  is  fond  of  an 
unbroken  tradition.  He  rejoices  in  the  brave  deeds 
of  his  ancestors,  and  is  ready  to  risk  his  life,  if  need 
be,    to    imitate    their    example.      He  believes   that 

61 


SOCIAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  MOVEMENTS  65 

through  the  present  union  of  the  German  states  in 
the  Empire  his  people  have  risen  to  a  great  opportu- 
nity, are  on  the  threshold  of  a  future  which  will 
eclipse  in  glory  and  achievement  anything  known  in 
history.  If  this  naturally  conservative  disposition 
leads  to  a  kind  of  formalism  in  his  piety,  it  saves  him 
from  any  violent  break  with  its  doctrines.  Even 
where  his  reason,  as  he  imagines,  is  against  him,  it 
binds  him  to  the  use  of  sound  words  in  the  expression 
of  his  religious  convictions,  which  are  both  deep  and 
real.  It  is  easy  for  a  German  to  believe  in  God. 
Against  His  authority  he  does  not  rebel.  Nor  does 
the  severity  of  moral  law  trouble  him;  still  less  does 
he  shrink  from  the  command  which  requires  him  to 
love  God  suiDremely,  and  his  neighbor  as  himself.  He 
may  have  his  own  opinion  about  the  way  in  which 
this  obedience  is  to  be  shown;  but,  as  to  the  com- 
mand, there  can  be,  as  he  thinks,  but  one  opinion.  It 
is  given  in  order  to  be  obeyed,  and  he  has  no  inten- 
tion to  set  it  aside.  This  may  be  due,  in  part,  to  his 
habit  of  obeying  his  official  superiors,  whether  in 
military  or  civil  service,  to  the  fact  that  all  his  life  he 
has  been  used  to  forms  of  authority,  but  its  real  cause 
is  more  probably  to  be  found  in  his  nature.  He  is  a 
person  who  loves  authority,  and  is  willing  to  recog- 
nize it  in  the  divine  Being. 

In  his  habits  of  living,  he  is  simple  and  frugal. 
With  wage^earners  this  is  a  matter  of  necessity.  In- 
come is  too  small  to  admit  of  extravagance.  Rents 
are  low,  food  and  clothing  are  of  the  simplest.  Those 
who  belong  to  what  we  might  properly  call  the  mid- 
dle class,  many  of  whom  are  in  business  for  them- 
selves, are  very  careful  in  their  expenditures.    They 


ee  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

do  not  allow  themselves  to  live  beyond  their  income. 
They  strive  to  live  so  as  to  save  a  certain  portion  of 
the  income  every  year.  In  the  country,  houses  are 
small  and  poorly,  though  comfortably,  furnished.  In 
provinces,  like  Westphalia  and  Waldeck,  the  barn  and 
the  house  of  the  peasant  are  under  the  same  roof. 
The  cow  and  horse  occupy  the  lower  story,  or  one  side 
of  the  house,  while  the  family  lives  above,  or  across  a 
dividing  way.  One  may  often  see  hay  crowded  into 
the  attic  of  the  house,  while  children  are  at  the  win- 
dows of  rooms  above  those  set  apart  for  the  cattle. 
Pigs  and  hens  are  not  far  distant.  Yet  the  people 
who  thus  live,  and  whose  food  is  chiefly  black  bread, 
a  little  sausage  and  beer,  do  not  look  untidy,  or  as  if 
they  had  insufficient  nourishment.  In  the  city,  the 
majority,  including  also  the  well=to=do,  live  in  flats,  or 
apartments.  In  Berlin,  a  recent  census  shows  that  a 
single  house  accommodates  fifty=seven  persons,  while 
on  an  average  we  find  only  seven  in  London.  In  Lon- 
don separate  houses  for  every  family  are  the  rule.  In 
Berlin,  save  in  the  suburbs,  they  are  the  exception. 
If  rents  for  these  apartments  are  rather  high,  the  ag- 
gregate household  expenses  are  far  less  than  in  Chi- 
cago, New  York,  or  Boston.  The  standard  of  living 
is  simijler.  Entertainments  cost  less.  Food  and 
clothing  cost  less.  Carriage  hire  is  inexpensive,  and 
it  costs  less  to  ride  on  the  street  cars  or  in  the  omni- 
buses. Then,  too,  there  seems  to  be  a  feeling  that 
American  and  English  people  eat  too  much,  and  are 
too  fond  of  expensive  food.  With  the  conviction  that 
simi3le  ways  best  befit  an  honest  state  of  society,  are 
most  healthful,  as  well  as  less  costly,  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  with  the  same  amount  of  money,  a  German 


SOCIAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  MOVEMENTS  67 

can  obtain  far  more  from  its  expenditure  than  an 
American.  Even  princes  make  little  display  in  their 
methods  of  living;  some  of  them,  indeed,  have  little 
money  to  spend,  while  those  who  have  a  great  deal  do 
not  throw  it  away  on  frivolities.  If  they  live  com- 
fortably they  do  not  seem  to  care  to  live  extravagant- 
ly. In  later  years  there  has  been  an  increasing  ten- 
dency, among  those  who  have  acquired  large  fortunes, 
to  increase  personal  expenses  and  to  introduce  stand- 
ards of  housekeeping  and  entertainment  which  have 
caused  much  solicitude  among  the  more  thoughtful, 
and  the  lovers  of  the  old  simple  ways.  One  of  the 
causes  of  the  bitter  feeling  against  the  Jews  is  the 
reckless  manner  in  which  the  wealthier  among  them 
are  spending  their  money  in  fast  living. 

To  an  American  it  seems  as  if  the  custom  which 
prevents  young  peoi)le  of  a  marriageable  age  from  as- 
sociating with  each  other,  save  in  the  presence  of  their 
elders,  could  not  be  favorable  to  good  morals.  No 
one  is  benefited  by  being  continually  watched,  by  be- 
ing treated  as  if  on  the  point  of  going  astray.  Mar- 
riages, which  in  the  middle  classes  are  not  consum- 
mated very  early,  are  less  happy,  one  may  believe, 
than  they  would  be,  were  the  parties  to  them  allowed 
to  associate  more  freely  before  the  marriage  contract 
is  formed.  There  are  too  many  go-betweens,  there  is 
too  much  consideration  of  money  or  income  for  un- 
ions of  real  affection.  Still  these  do  occur,  and  more 
frequently  than  one  would  think  possible.  An  en- 
gagement is  a  great  affair.  Its  solemnity  is  recog- 
nized by  everybody.  It  is  not  often  broken,  never 
save  for  the  most  serious  reasons.  After  an  engage- 
ment has  been  ratified  at  the  house   of  the  future 


68  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

bride,  the  young  people  are  permitted  to  enjoy  each 
other's  society  without  hindrance.  The  period  be- 
tween betrothal  and  marriage  for  most  young  persons 
is  the  happiest  period  of  their  lives.  This  is  their 
honeymoon.  Marriage  may  be  delayed  for  years,  but 
hence-forth  the  two  people  who  have  announced  their 
purpose  in  the  presence  of  relatives  and  friends  to  be- 
come husband  and  wife,  are  known  as  bride  and  bride- 
groom, and  are  received  by  the  relatives  of  either 
party  as  members  of  the  family.  Families  as  a  rule 
are  large.  Germans  love  children.  Parents  and 
children  openly  manifest  their  affection  for  each 
other.  They  make  a  great  deal  of  birthdays,  of 
Christmas,  and  Easter,  and  rarely  allow  these  days  to 
pass  without  exchanging  some  little  present  with  one 
another.  The  love  for  social  gatherings  which  unites 
families,  or  brings  them  together  after  the  chil- 
dren are  grown  up  and  settled  in  homes  of  their 
own,  is  exceedingly  strong. 

There  are  no  national  games  in  Germany  as  in 
England  and  America.  The  Germans  care  nothing 
for  cricket,  or  base  ball.  The  Universities  do  not 
challenge  one  another  to  games  of  foot  ball,  or  to 
boat  races.  The  typical  German  seems  happiest 
when  in  a  beer  garden,  listening  to  good  music, 
smoking  and  drinking  beer  with  his  wife  and  children 
around  him.  For  j)hysical  exercise,  outside  of  that 
which  daily  labor  requires,  the  people  seem  to  have 
little  appreciation.  No  one  can  deny  that  the  habits 
of  life  ordinarily  cultivated  are  favorable  to  good 
morals,  and  to  a  social  life  into  which  the  discussion 
of  questions  which  unsettle  religious  faith  rarely 
enters. 


SOCIAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  MOVEMENTS  69 

With  the  increase  of  manufactures  there  has  come 
a  congestion  of  population  in  manufacturing  districts. 
Although  the  population  is  almost  entirely  German, 
there  still  arise  many  disagreements  between  the  em- 
ployers and  laborers  as  to  wages.  There  are  fewer 
of  these  strifes  than  in  a  country  like  ours,  where  so 
many  persons  of  different  nationalities  and  creeds  con- 
gregate, and  where  many  assume  a  menacing  or  hos- 
tile attitude  toward  those  who  give  them  em^Dloyment. 
Serious  strikes  have  not  infrequently  taken  place  in 
these  manufacturing  districts,  but  most  of  them  have 
been  settled  without  the  intervention  of  the  govern- 
ment. Others,  notably  in  the  mining  districts,  have 
been  put  down  by  the  heljD  of  soldiers,  and  a  settle- 
ment effected  to  the  disadvantage  of  labor.  Hardly 
more  frequently  in  Germany  than  elsewhere  have 
strikes  really  brought  advantage  to  those  engaged  in 
them.  It  is  easier  there,  than  here,  or  in  England,  to 
compel  their  settlement  by  force,  even  if  such  a  method 
of  settlement  should  satisfy  no  one.  The  scarcity  of 
employment,  and  the  knowledge  that  if  one  gives  up 
a  place  hundreds  are  waiting  to  take  it,  hinder  many 
of  those  who  are  dissatisfied  with  their  pay,  from  re- 
fusing to  work  because  they  cannot  secure  its  in- 
crease. Upon  the  whole,  whatever  be  the  reason, 
there  seems  to  be  less  complaint  of  the  injustice  and 
avarice  of  employers  in  Germany  than  in  our  own 
country.  Perhaps  it  is  because  the  haste  to  become 
rich  is  not  quite  so  feverish  and  overpowering  as  here. 

The  government  ownership  of  railways,  telegraphs, 
a  few  breweries,  and  industrial  establishments,  and 
the  employment  of  a  multitude  of  men  in  the  civil 
service,  where  the  tenure  of  position  depends  upon 


70  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

competence  and  good  behavior,  tend  to  create  a 
standard  as  to  wages  and  the  length  of  a  day's  labor, 
which  are  not  without  a  steadying  influence  upon  the 
vast  army  of  wage-earners.  Very  few  who  are  in 
government  service  would  care  to  risk  their  position 
by  a  strike  or  by  an  agitation  v/hich  would  bear  any 
resemblance  to  a  strike.  Nevertheless,  there  are  too 
many  people  in  Germany  for  its  soil  and  its  indus- 
tries properly  to  support.  Notwithstanding  the  ex- 
tensive fisheries,  the  increasing  output  of  the  mines, 
the  strenuous  efforts  which  are  made  to  bring  agri- 
culture to  a  higher  state  of  perfection,  and  to  open 
lines  of  trade  to  every  part  of  the  world,  emigration 
continues  to  increase.  The  demands  of  the  Army 
and  Navy,  added  to  the  ordinary  demands  for  labor, 
are  insufficient  to  furnish  opportunities  for  earning  a 
comfortable  livelihood  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  the 
population.  Hence  the  immense  emigration  which 
has  been  going  on  for  years  to  the  United  States,  and 
is  now  turning  toward  South  Africa  and  South 
America.  Letters  from  those  who  have  prospered  in 
these  regions  and  especially  in  the  United  States 
create  the  desire  for  emigration  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  have  remained  at  home,  and  so  the  stream  of  de- 
parture for  new  countries  continues.  But  in  spite  of 
the  drains  which  have  been  made  on  the  population, 
the  census  of  1890  gave  Germany  nearly  fifty  millions 
of  people,  with  a  country  only  208,425  square  miles 
in  extent.  This  is  a  population  of  a  little  less  than 
239  to  the  square  mile,  a  larger  population  than  is 
found  in  Massachusetts.  Massachusetts  has  the  West 
to  depend  upon  for  her  food.  Germany  cannot  pro- 
duce enough  to  feed  her  people.    It  may  be  doubted 


SOCIAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  MOVEMENTS  7l 

whether  a  country,  exposed  as  she  is  to  the  hostility 
both  of  France  and  Kussia,  can  safely  depend  on  the 
products  of  other  countries  for  any  portion  of  her 
food  supply.  It  is  estimated  that  about  92  per  cent, 
of  her  territory,  including  that  which  is  fitted  for 
grazing  purposes,  is  capable  of  cultivation;  49  per 
cent,  of  it  is  arable.  Germany  is  very  well  wooded; 
her  forests  cover  25  per  cent,  of  her  territory,  v/hile 
those  of  England  cover  only  3  per  cent.,  and  those  of 
France  17  per  cent.  With  an  abundance  of  coal,  and  a 
large  supply  of  peat,  there  is  no  danger  of  im- 
mediate suffering  from  lack  of  fuel.  But  unless  a 
stop  can  be  put  to  the  present  rapid  expansion  of  the 
population,  or  some  new  method  of  increasing  agri- 
cultural products  be  discovered,  and  new  channels 
opened  for  trade,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  question  of 
earning  enough  to  meet  the  home  demand  for  food 
would  soon  become  a  very  pressing  one.  It  is,  more- 
over, one  that  may  add  immensely  to  the  difficulties 
which  Social  Democrats,  and  a  few  hot-headed  anar- 
chists, now  and  then  furnish  the  government.  It  is 
of  no  little  importance  that  in  such  a  condition  of 
things  there  be  a  strong  faith  in  eternal  verities,  and 
a  wise  leadership  in  the  Christian  church.  That  re- 
ligion will  form  an  important  element  in  the  settle- 
ment of  the  present  problems  in  Germany,  the  relig- 
ious nature  and  history  of  the  people  render  evident. 
Germany  is  a  land  of  experiments  in  religion.  She 
has  tried  Materialism.  This,  as  one  who  writes  intel- 
ligently in  one  of  the  more  trustworthy  journals  says, 
is  "  an  old  head,  weary  and  worn,"  whose  day  is  past. 
Proud  as  she  has  been,  Materialism  can  do  nothing 
now  for  the  people.    The  people  have  discovered  that 


72  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

they  need  something  spiritual  to  help  them  to  bear 
their  earthly  burdens.  Philosophy  has  had  her  day. 
She  is  still  powerful  with  many  stalwart  thinkers. 
From  Kant  to  Hartmann,  not  a  few  have  looked  to 
her  to  suggest  a  way  out  of  the  troubles  which  sur- 
round the  laboring  class.  But  Philosophy  has  no 
way  to  suggest.  She  can  discuss  difficulties,  can 
weave  theories  together  into  a  system:  she  cannot 
furnish  practical  and  immediate  aid  to  those  who 
need  it.  Rationalism,  whatever  be  its  form,  is  une- 
qual to  the  demands  of  the  higher  nature  of  man. 
It  cannot  minister  to  the  spirit.  Even  the  advocates 
of  an  Ethical  Religion  find  no  firm  ground  upon  which 
to  stand,  unless  they  build  upon  the  foundation  of 
the  "apostles  and  prophets."  Only  so  far  as  they 
present  the  doctrines  which  Christ  taught  can  they 
really  touch  the  people  they  desire  to  influence.  A 
"  new  religion,"  "  the  religion  of  the  future,"  in 
which  we  hear  much  of  "  reason,"  "  the  rights  of 
man,"  of  "  progress,"  "  the  advancement  of  the  race," 
has  nothing  for  men  and  women  who  are  hungry, 
who  are  friendless  and  hopeless,  who  want  God, 
and  the  help  which  He  alone  can  bring.  Says  one 
who  has  considered  the  question,  "  Both  Catholic 
and  Protestant  must  study  the  question  of  aid  for 
the  working,  or  wage  class,  together."  They  must  be 
agreed  as  to  the  measures  which  shall  be  taken  for 
the  removal  of  the  need  which  is  most  pressing. 
Wise  Christian  men  are  satisfied  that  nothing  short 
of  religion,  earnest,  practical,  every^day  religion,  will 
lift  suffering  miners  or  other  toilers  out  of  their  de- 
pressed condition,  or  give  them  courage  to  try  to  help 
themselves,  and  thus  encourage  others  to  unite  to- 


SOCIAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  MOVEMENTS  73 

gether  to  make  these  attempts  successful.  It  is  for 
the  "  fourth,  or  laboring  class,"  especially,  that  help  is 
demanded.  It  is  for  this  class  that  the  two  great 
Churches  of  Germany  are  trying  to  work  together. 
Statistics  show  that  out  of  every  hundred  Germans, 
forty-seven  are  farmers,  or  peasants,  thirty- five  em- 
ployed in  the  trades,  and  only  nine  engaged  in  stores, 
or  in  the  sale  of  the  products  of  industry.  Yet  the 
laws  recently  enacted  are,  it  is  claimed,  chiefly  in  the 
interest  of  the  smallest  class,  and  opposed  to  all  that 
concerns  the  agricultural  welfare  of  the  nation. 
Economically,  it  is  asserted  that  the  cause  of  Ger- 
many's depression  is  the  inability  of  her  peasant 
class  to  buy  and  pay  for  what  it  needs.  Treaties 
with  Russia,  and  laws  governing  trade  with  other 
countries,  have  discriminated  against  Germany  her- 
self, and  reduced  the  power  of  the  farmers  to  pay 
off  the  debts  which,  to  more  than  half  their  value, 
have  accumulated  against  their  farms,  or  even  to  pre- 
vent their  steady  increase.  For  more  than  half  of 
the  population  the  future  is  dark.  In  view  of  this 
condition  of  things,  what  has  been  and  is  the 
attitude  of  the  Church  in  Germany.  What  is  the 
Christian  life  there  led?  To  what  extent  is  the 
Church  a  powerful  moulder  and  director  of  public 
opinion?  To  these  questions  answers,  more  or  less 
full,  will  be  given  in  the  chapters  which  follow. 


CHAPTER  V. 

STIMULATING  AND  MODIFYING  INFLUENCES  ON 
CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY. 

No  one  mourns  more  sincerely  than  the  intelli- 
gently devout  German  Christian  the  formalism  which 
prevailed  in  the  Churches  at  the  close  of  the  last,  and 
at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  If  Chris- 
tianity had  a  name  to  live,  it  did  not  have  much  else. 
There  was  little  hearty  belief  in  the  Scriptures  as  a 
direct  revelation  from  God.  Attendance  at  Church 
services  was  slight.  Sermons  were  cold,  unattractive 
and  lifeless.  Philosophic  rather  than  practical  topics 
formed  their  themes.  To  the  occupants  of  the  pulpit 
the  field  of  Natural  Theology  seemed  more  fruitful 
than  that  of  Revealed  Theology.  The  doctrines  of 
sin  and  grace,  outside  of  certain  circles,  were  almost 
entirely  neglected.  For  this  condition  of  things 
there  were  many  reasons.  Some  of  them  date  back 
to  Luther,  and  owe  their  existence  to  his  failure  to 
draw  a  sharp  distinction  between  Church  and  State, 
to  his  comparative  indifference  to  subordinate  but 
important  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  and  especially  to 
his  views  as  to  the  Sabbath.  Nor  were  his  views  as 
to  the  Scriptures  without  effect  on  those  who  came 
after  him.  Too  much  has  been  made  of  his  claim 
for  the  right  of  private  judgment  and  perfect  free- 

74 


STIMULATING  AND  MODIFYING  INFLUENCES         75 

dom  in  the  interpretation  of  Scripture;  yet  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  extreme  radicals  are  not  without  a 
show  of  reason  in  their  assertion  that  he  was  the 
great  radical  of  his  time,  and  that,  with  his  spirit  and 
methods  of  interpretation,  he  would  be  their  leader 
to=day.  Unfortunately  these  radicals  lack,  as  a  rule, 
the  piety  of  Luther.  They  have  none  of  his  con- 
viction of  sin,  none  of  his  desire  for  its  for- 
giveness, none  of  his  confidence  in  the  great  doc- 
trine of  justification  by  faith.  Whatever  may  have 
been  the  failure  of  Luther,  in  the  way  of  formulating 
dogmas  for  subsequent  ages  to  receive  and  defend,  his 
writings,  taken  as  a  whole,  are  an  antidote  to  the 
poison  which  a  few  men  would  extract  from  them. 
Still  we  cannot  fail  to  regret  that  the  Reformer  was 
not  more  consistent  with  some  of  his  own  principles. 
He  would  thus  have  given  his  successors  less  excuse 
for  the  differences  of  opinion  which  soon  exhibited 
themselves  in  their  ranks.  The  barren  disputes  in 
theology  in  the  seventeenth  century,  the  failure  to 
start  missions  in  foreign  lands,  to  lay  upon  the 
Churches  the  entire  burden  of  their  support,  to  con- 
fine their  membership  to  regenerate  persons,  the  ir- 
regularities connected  with  the  Peasants'  War,  and 
the  sufferings  attending  the  Thirty  Years'  War,  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  dearth  of  spiritual  life  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  for  the  Rationalism  which  was 
dominant  in  all  spheres  of  thought  at  the  beginning 
and  during  the  early  years  of  the  century  now 
closing. 

Some  of  the  causes  which  led  to  a  reaction  in  Chris- 
tian thought  and  life  may  here  be  briefly  mentioned. 
In    considering    them    we    should    not   forget   that 


76  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Pietism  and  the  Moravians  were  sources  of  great 
spiritual  power  during  all  these  dark  years.  Their 
influence,  often  unrecognized,  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated. Yet  there  were  also  external  causes  which 
influenced  the  religious  life  of  the  people.  Prominent 
among  these,  perhaps  deserving  the  first  place  on 
account  of  their  effect  upon  the  entire  jjeople,  were  the 
military  campaigns  of  the  nation.  It  was  the  "War 
for  Independence  which  brought  the  peo^ole  to  their 
knees,  and  led  them  to  cry  unto  God  for  deliverance. 
French  influence  had  corrupted  everything.  It  had 
corrupted  thought,  morals,  and  religion.  The  political 
power  of  the  nation  had  been  trampled  under  foot. 
EfiPorts  to  throw  off  the  French  yoke,  to  break  the 
power  of  Napoleon  in  one  great  battle  at  Jena,  in 
1806,  had  signally  failed.  The  darkest  day  for  the 
German  people  had  dawned.  In  the  depths  of  their 
humiliation  they  turned  their  thoughts  unto  God. 
They  cried  mightily  unto  Him.  Philosophical  theo- 
ries were  thrown  to  the  winds.  What  everyone 
wanted  was  divine  help.  It  came.  With  the  defeat 
of  the  French  armies  at  Leipzig,  in  1813,  and  the 
waning  of  Napoleon's  influence,  a  better  state  of 
things,  religiously,  dawned.  Church  life  revived,  and 
Chi'istian  doctrines  were  discussed  in  a  more  practi- 
cal, helpful  way. 

With  this  renewal  of  confidence  in  the  political 
importance  of  the  nation  was  connected  an  intel- 
lectual awakening  of  the  utmost  importance.  This 
was  brought  about  in  the  main  by  the  writings  of 
such  men  as  Kant,  Fichte,  and  Hegel.  Into  the 
Church  and  into  the  ranks  of  theologians  such  think- 
ers came  as  Schelling,  Schleiermacher,  Neander,  and 


STIMULATING  AND  MODIFYING  INFLUENCES         77 

Tholuck,  These  men  believed  in  a  spiritual  religion, 
based  on  doctrines  so  simple  that  the  common  mind 
could  aj)prehend  them.  The  addresses  of  Schleier- 
macher,  brilliant  alike  as  a  thinker  and  XDreacher, 
(Reden)  to  the  thinking  men  of  the  nation,  brought 
thousands  back  to  the  faith,  and  confirmed  within 
them  the  purpose  to  lead  a  Christian  life.  To  the 
influence  of  Schleiermacher,  more  than  to  any  one 
else,  is  due  the  revival  of  confidence  in  Christianity 
as  a  revelation  from  God,  and  of  religious  earnestness 
in  the  nation.  Not  without  a  favorable  influence 
on  the  piety  of  the  people  were  the  writings 
of  the  Romanticists.  But  no  writers  have  ever  had 
a  greater  or  more  beneficent  influence,  taken  as  a 
whole,  than  Goethe,  Schiller,  and  Lessing.  This 
influence  was  all  the  stronger  since  no  one  of  these 
men  sought  to  defend  Christianity,  save  indirectly, 
or  was  known  in  his  day  as  a  believer  in  Christianity. 
Out  of  this  intellectual  renaissance  came  such  histor- 
ical writers  as  Niebuhr,  Ranke,  Hase,  Dorner, 
Kahnis,  such  critical  scholars  as  Gesenius,  Delitzsch, 
Tischendorf ,  with  a  host  of  others,  engaged  in  kindred 
fields,  all  contributing,  more  or  less,  to  a  deeper  in- 
terest in  the  Scriptures,  and  in  the  religion  which  is 
founded  upon  them.  Nor  are  we  to  set  aside  as  of 
little  value  in  awakening  religious  thought,  the  great 
army  of  novel  writers,  essayists,  critics,  journalists? 
and  poets,  who,  although  working  chiefly  for  the  day, 
have  yet  done  a  vast  deal  to  create  a  new  interest  in 
the  principles  which  underlie  the  "  Sermon  on  the 
Mount." 

The  discussions  which  accompanied  the  efforts  of 
Frederick   William  III.,  king  of  Prussia,   to  bring 


78  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

about  in  his  dominions  a  union  of  the  Lutheran  and 
Keformed  Churches,  were  not  without  favorable  effect 
upon  the  religious  life  of  his  subjects.  In  spite  of 
the  very  serious  opposition  from  the  proposed  amal- 
gamation of  the  two  bodies,  each  retaining  to  a  certain 
extent  its  own  confession  of  faith,  into  a  single  body, 
to  be  known  as  the  Union  Evangelical  Church,  and 
the  refusal  of  some  strong  Churches  to  assent  to  the 
terms  of  the  union,  few  would  now  venture  to  ques- 
tion the  wisdom  of  the  step  which  the  king  and  his 
ministers  were  anxious  to  take.  The  union  was 
effected  in  1817,  and  although  it  embraces  within  its 
fellowship  men  whose  opinions  are  extremely  ortho- 
dox, as  well  as  those  who  are  liberal  almost  to  the 
verge  of  unbelief,  it  has  undoubtedly  done  much  to 
increase  the  efficiency  of  the  Church  of  the  realm. 

Christian  journalism,  and  such  reviews  as  the 
Studien  und  KrUiken,  have  also  wrought  well  for  the 
truth.  Overlooking  its  bad  taste  in  conducting  its 
controversies,  the  personalities,  bitter  and  unchristian 
which  often  appeared  in  its  columns,  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  the  Kirchenzeihing,  so  long  edited  by 
Hengstenberg  of  Berlin,  now  published  at  Leipzig, 
and  edited  by  Luthardt,  exerted  very  great  influence 
on  the  side  of  Christian  truth.  These  intellectual 
and  spiritual  influences,  set  in  motion  during  the  first 
and  second  quarters  of  the  century,  have  continued 
to  make  themselves  felt  with  increasing  power  even 
to  the  present  time.  Whatever  may  be  said  as  to  the 
influence  of  the  Universities,  though  upon  the  whole 
it  has  been  favorable  to  Christian  truth,  or  however 
large  may  seem  to  be  the  numbers  of  men  high  in 
public  estimation  who  reject  supernatural  Christian- 


STIMULATING  AND  MODIFYING  INFLUENCES       79 

ity,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  ministry  has  con- 
stantly grown  more  spiritually  minded,  and  that, 
within  the  last  fifty  years,  the  Church  has  roused 
itself  to  special  activities  indicative  of  a  new  life. 

It  seems  far  fetched  to  say  that  the  exciting  scenes 
in  France,  in  1848,  were  favorable  to  German  piety. 
Yet  this  is  true.  At  that  time  Berlin  only  just  es- 
caped a  revolution.  It  was  at  the  point  of  the  bayo- 
net, one  might  almost  say,  that  the  promise  of  consti- 
tutional government  was  extorted  from  Frederick 
William  IV.  It  was  with  great  hesitation  that  he 
fulfilled  his  promise,  and  gave  Prussia  a  constitution 
and  a  representative  form  of  government.  Previously 
the  will  of  the  Hohenzollerns  had  been  absolute. 
Since  that  time  the  cause  of  civil  and  religious  liberty 
has  made  immense  progress.  It  was  in  the  year  1848 
also  that  Wichern  secured  the  recognition  by  the 
church,  through  its  representatives  gathered  at  Wit- 
tenberg, of  his  work  in  the  Kough  House,  {Eauhes 
Hans)  at  Hamburg,  a  branch  of  the  work  of  the  Ger- 
man  churches  now  known  as  the  "Inner  Mission," 
and  making  its  beneficent  power  felt  throughout  the 
German^speaking  world.  In  an  important  sense  is  it 
true  that  since  1848  the  political  and  Christian  devel- 
opments of  Germany  have  gone  forward  hand  in 
hand. 

The  sense  of  obligation  which  the  Emperor  Wil- 
liam I.,  and  his  advisers,  including  Bismarck,  felt  in 
the  government  of  a  Christian  nation  was  deepened 
by  the  victories  gained  in  the  short  war  with  Austria, 
in  1866.  This  sense  of  responsibility  was  immensely 
increased  through  the  triumphs  over  France  in  1870 
and  1871,  and  by  the  consolidation  of   the  German 


80  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Provinces  into  the  German  Empire.  For  a  quarter 
of  a  century  this  Empire  has  existed,  and  every  year 
has  its  attitude  toward  Christian  truth  grown  more 
favorable.  Perhaps  it  is  as  Christian  in  all  its  de- 
partments as  a  government  well  can  be.  Even  in  its 
military  and  civil  service,  it  observes  the  forms  which 
belong  to  a  Christian  nation.  Nor  are  these  forms 
meaningless.  They  express  in  a  public  way  the  wishes 
of  the  people,  from  the  Emperor  to  his  humblest  sub- 
ject, for  a  Christian  government. 

The  latest  phase  of  free  Christian  thought  is  Ritsch- 
lianism.  Its  principles  find  their  strongest  advocates 
in  such  men  as  Harnack  and  Kaftan,  of  Berlin,  and 
Hermann,  of  Marburg,  although  nearly  all  German 
Church  historians  are  attached  to  this  school  of  the- 
ology. The  watchword  of  the  school  has  been  "  back 
to  Christ,"  back  to  the  sources  of  truth.  Its  leaders 
are  striving  to  do  their  work  as  students  of  the  origi- 
nal documents  of  Christianity,  in  the  spirit  of  Luther, 
and  independently  of  the  religious  dogmas  which 
Councils  or  learned  men  have  formulated.  The  gen- 
esis of  this  school  of  thought  is  interesting.  It  grew 
out  of  the  left  wing  of  the  Hegelian  philosophy. 
While  the  right  wing  of  this  philosophical  school 
made  itself  felt  as  an  influence  of  great  value  to  the 
Church,  through  Schelling  and  Schleiermacher  in 
Berlin,  the  left  wing  in  Strauss  and  Baur  and  the 
Tubingen  school,  seemed  likely  at  one  time  to  prove 
destructive  to  faith.  As  one  of  Baur's  most  promis- 
ing pupils,  and  thoroughly  familiar  with  his  methods 
of  investigation  and  thought,  Ritschl  furnished  the 
antidote  to  any  influence  his  writings  might  exert  in 
opposition  to  Christianity.     He  drew  from  them  am- 


STIMULATING  AND  MODIFYING  INFLUENCES       81 

munition  with  which  to  destroy  the  armies  of  unbelief. 
While  the  object  of  much  suspicion  in  Grermany,  and 
very  imperfectly  understood  either  in  England  or  in 
America,  the  Christian  earnestness  of  the  representa- 
tives of  the  Ritschlian  school  leaves  no  doubt  as  to 
their  fundamental  principles  of  belief,  or  of  the  sin- 
cerity of  their  purpose  to  serve  the  cause  of  Christ 
Both  Ritschl  and  Schleiermacher  felt  the  influence  of 
Pietism.  The  latter  was  more  or  less  a  mystic  to  the 
day  of  his  death.  Brought  up  among  the  Moravians, 
he  could  never  rid  himself  of  the  impressions  which 
their  simple  piety  made  upon  him  in  his  youth. 
There  is  something  in  nearly  all  his  writings,  as  there 
was  in  his  preaching,  indicative  of  his  early  training. 
As  the  historian  and  critic  of  Pietism,  Ritschl  fell 
perhaps  unconsciously  under  its  influence.  This  may 
be  one  of  the  reasons  why  his  teachings  have  such  a 
charm  for  many  of  the  first  order  of  mind.  Were 
there  any  tendency  to  infidelity  in  his  writings,  this 
tendency  would  be  met  and  resisted  by  the  spirit  of 
sincere  piety  with  which  they  are  animated.  It 
would  not  be  surprising  if,  through  the  influence 
which  men  like  Francke,  Pastor  Harms,  and  other  de- 
voted and  successful  pastors  and  teachers,  have  exert- 
ed on  all  branches  of  the  Church,  even  Ritschlianism 
were  finally  to  be  accepted,  with  modifications  doubt- 
less, as  a  part  of  that  great  contribution  to  Christian 
thought  and  activity  which  Germany  is  still  continu- 
ing to  make. 

Another  indication  of  a  revived  Church  life  is  seen 
in  the  formation  on  the  battle  field  of  Ltitzen,  in 
1832,  where  ten  thousand  German  Christians  had 
gathered  to  celebrate  the  two  hundredth  anniversary 


82  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

of  the  hero's  death,  of  the  Gustav  Adolphus  Verein, 
a  society  whose  purpose  is  to  aid  in  the  building  of 
Churches  and  the  formation  of  Protestant  communi- 
ties, chiefly  in  the  Roman  Catholic  provinces  of  the 
country.  It  was  thought  that  the  formation  of  such 
a  society  would  keep  alive  the  memory  of  the  great 
Swedish  King  who  gave  his  life  to  the  cause  of  Pro- 
testant principles,  and  that  its  very  name  would 
plead  eloquently  for  the  cause  it  represents.  The 
history  of  the  society  shows  that  its  founders  builded 
even  more  wisely  than  they  knew. 

The  celebration,  in  1867,  of  the  three  hundred  and 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Reformation,  combined 
with  other  causes  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  people 
anew  to  the  divine  sources  of  the  doctrines  for  which 
the  Protestant  Churches  stand.  Another  impulse  to 
faith  was  given  by  the  dedication,  with  royal  pomj), 
of  the  old  Castle  Church  at  Wittenberg,  Oct.  31, 1892. 
In  its  restoration  three  Emperors  had  taken  part. 
The  successful  effort  to  increase  the  number  of 
Churches,  and  to  create  new  parishes  as  they  are 
needed,  in  Berlin,  together  with  the  well  known  inter- 
est of  the  royal  household  in  all  that  concerns  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  nation,  have  undoubtedly 
done  something  towards  making  Church  attendance, 
sadly  neglected  as  it  still  is,  more  fashionable  than  it 
once  was,  and  to  prevent  many  from  expressing  them- 
selves openly  as  opposers  of  religion. 

No  one  can  deny  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  scepti- 
cism among  scientific  men  in  Germany.  Nor  are  all 
the  professors  and  students  in  the  Universities  favor- 
ably disposed  toward  Christianity.  Fewer  of  the 
latter  are  interested  in  religion  than  among  students 


STIMULATING  AND  MODIFYING  INFLUENCES       83 

in  our  own  country;  but  it  may  be  doubted  if  a  larger 
number  of  unbelievers  among  scientific  men  could  be 
found  in  Germany  than  among  us,  or  in  England. 
Over  the  lack  of  spiritual  life  in  her  educated  men 
devout  pastors  in  Germany  sincerely  grieve.  Very 
clearly  do  they  see  cause  for  alarm  lest  unbelieving 
men  creep  into  the  pulj^its  of  the  Churches.  This 
they  are  doing  all  that  they  can  to  prevent.  Still,  even 
in  the  Universities,  the  religious  condition  is  better 
than  it  was  twenty  years  ago.  Belief  in  a  revealed 
religion  is  not  diminishing  among  educated  men, 
Higher  Criticism  has  not  destroyed  confidence  in  the 
Scriptures  as  the  Word  of  God.  Nor  has  it  diminished 
the  sense  of  personal  responsibility  for  the  spread  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  over  the  world,  and  among 
those  at  home,  whose  condition  is  almost  as  deplora- 
ble as  is  the  condition  of  unbelievers  in  heathen 
lands.  Whoever  studies  with  care  the  entire  field  of 
German  history,  literature,  philosophy,  and  education 
since  the  days  of  Luther,  will  be  convinced  that  while 
there  is  much  to  regret,  and  much  still  to  be  desired, 
the  doctrines  of  the  New  Testament  were  never  so 
popular  among  the  people  as  now;  that  the  Church, 
including  pastors  and  laymen  alike  was  never  more 
aggressive  thaii  now,  or  more  confident  that  the  prin- 
ciples of  Christ  will  everywhere  finally  prevail. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FOREIGN  MISSIONS  IN  GERMANY. 

The  assertion  is  often  made  that  the  Church  in 
Germany  is  destitute  of  spiritual  life.  The  assertion 
rests  on  the  assumijtion  that  Higher  Criticism,  whose 
results  are  published  almost  as  soon  as  they  are 
reached,  is  fatal  to  piety,  and  that  a  State  Church 
cannot  be  interested  to  any  considerable  extent  in 
aggressive  Christian  measures.  The  connection  of 
Church  and  State  is  doubtless  profitable  neither  to 
the  one  nor  to  the  other,  but  of  all  Churches  where 
this  relation  exists  the  condition  of  the  national 
Church  of  Prussia,  and  that  of  the  other  provinces 
now  incorporated  in  the  Empire,  are  surely  of  the 
best.  The  works  of  the  critics  are  read  only  by  a  few, 
and  as  every  position  taken  by  them  is  immediately 
subjected  to  the  severest  tests  as  soon  as  made  known, 
with  little  prospect  of  ultimate  acceptance,  they  are 
in  general  regarded  by  the  rank  and  file  of  pro- 
fessed Christians  with  something  like  indifference. 

A  true  test  of  the  spiritual  life  of  a  Church  is  in 
the  gifts  of  money  and  men,  which  its  members 
make  year  by  year  to  objects  which  are  purely  benev- 
olent. The  number  of  persons  whose  lives  are  de- 
voted to  philanthropic  objects,  both  at  home  and 
abroad,  is  far  larger  than  is  commonly  thought.' 
Considering  the   resources   at   the   command   of  the' 

84 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  85 

German  Churches,  benevolent  contributions  are  by  no 
means  insignificant.  Averaged  among  all  whose 
names  are  on  the  books  of  these  Churches  as  the 
names  of  those  who  have  been  baptised  and  con- 
firmed, the  amount  given  is  painfully  small;  but  if 
divided  among  those  who  are  really  regenerate,  and 
upon  whose  shoulders  the  burdens  of  Church  work 
rest,  it  is  far  from  discouraging.  There  are  two  great 
channels  through  which  the  gifts  of  the  Christian 
people  of  Germany  are  continually  flowing,  those  of 
missionary  work  in  foreign  lands  and  of  missionary 
work  at  home.  The  former  is  known  as  the  Outer 
Mission,  the  latter  as  the  Inner  Mission.  The  work 
of  the  Inner  Mission,  in  many  respects  one  of  the 
best  organized  and  most  remarkable  in  the  world, 
will  be  described  in  future  chapters. 

For  the  statements  in  this  chapter  concerning  the 
foreign  work,  although  the  reports  of  the  various  so- 
cieties have  been  carefully  consulted,  and  many  doc- 
uments have  been  read,  the  chief  authority  is  Dr. 
Gustav  Warneck,  whose  elaborate  works  on  missions 
are  well  known,  and  whose  little  book  for  use  in 
schools  ("Die  Mission  in  der  Schule,"  Gtitersloh, 
1893),  written  in  a  charming  style  and  full  of  inter- 
esting anecdotes,  has  had  a  wide  circulation.  His 
statements  have  been  carefully  compared  with  those 
made  by  the  late  Dr.  H.  Gundert,  wdiose  summary  of 
the  history  of  foreign  missions  the  world  over  is  a 
marvel  of  condensation  as  well  as  of  accuracy,  ("  Die 
evangelische  Mission,  ihre  Lander,  Volker,  und  Ar- 
beiten,"  Calv  &  Stuttgart,  1894.) 

Practical  and  effective  interest  in  Foreign  Missions 
dates  back  to  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 


86  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

tury,  or  to  the  time  of  Angnstus  Hermann  Francke 
(1663-1727),  founder  of  the  Halle  Orphan  Asylum, 
and  professor  in  the  University  of  Halle.  Quickened 
in  his  own  spiritual  life  by  association  with  the  Pie- 
tists, and  by  careful  study  of  the  Bible,  it  was  his 
personal  influence  which  led  such  men  as  Ziegenbalg 
and  H.  Pliitschau  to  devote  themselves  to  the  foreign 
field.  Through  their  writings  and  instructions,  both 
as  pastor  and  professor,  a  missionary  spirit  began  to 
show  itself  in  Germany,  and  money  was  sent  Francke 
for  the  support  of  those  who  were  willing  to  go 
abroad.  He  became  the  chief  adviser  of  missiona- 
ries, one  might  almost  say,  a  missionary  society  in 
himself. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  Frederick  IV.  of  Den- 
mark was  the  originator  of  the  first  foreign  mission- 
ary work  of  modern  times.  His  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  his  subjects  in  the  East  Indian  colonies  led 
him,  in  1705,  at  the  suggestion  of  his  court  chaplain 
LUtkens,  to  undertake  their  evangelization.  Thither 
went  Ziegenbalg  and  Pliitschau,  who  were  intimately 
associated  with  Francke.  This  earliest  of  continent- 
al missionary  societies  is  generally  known  as  the 
"  Danish^Halle  Society."  Its  chief  station  was  at 
Trankebar,  in  Southern  India,  where,  by  the  end  of 
the  century,  a  community  of  nearly  40,000  converts 
had  been  gathered.  Here,  for  nearly  a  hundred  years, 
as  noble  a  set  of  men  as  ever  entered  the  foreign  field 
toiled  unremittingly.  For  fifty  years  this  w^as  the 
home  of  Fabricius,  who  died  in  1791.  Fabricius  was 
the  translator  of  the  Bible  into  the  language  of  the 
people,  and  a  co-laborer  of  the  devoted  Friedrich 
Schwartz  (who  died  in  1798),  in  creating  for  them  a 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  87 

Christian  literature.  Owing  to  the  rise  of  Rational- 
ism at  home  and  its  deadening  influence  on  the 
Churches,  interest  in  missions  waned,  and  the  once 
flourishing  and  promising  work  in  India  fell  into 
decay.  Still  it  has  not  been  without  permanent  re- 
sults, to  which  both  the  Leipzig  Society  of  the  pre- 
sent century  and  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
have  become  heirs. 

The  influence  of  Francke  was  felt  in  another  direc- 
tion where  the  results  have  shown  themselves  in  un- 
broken missionary  labors.  In  his  youth.  Count  Zin- 
zendorf,  the  founder  of  the  Moravian,  or  Brother 
Community,  as  it  is  usually  called  in  Germany,  was 
brought  into  somewhat  intimate  relations  with  the 
Halle  professor.  The  spiritual  impulse  he  then 
received  remained  with  him  through  life. 

In  1732,  the  Count  gathered  on  his  estate,  at 
Herrnhut,  a  company  of  men  and  women  who  were 
ready  to  make  a  complete  consecration  of  themselves 
and  their  possessions  to  the  Lord.  There  are  at 
present  about  9,000  Moravians  in  Germany,  and  22,000 
more  in  England  and  America.  From  this  little  com- 
pany of  believers,  it  was  reported  at  the  celebration 
of  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the 
beginning  of  the  work,  held  at  Herrnhut  in  1882,  that 
2,209  persons  had  gone  forth  from  their  homes  to 
serve  in  the  foreign  field,  that  there  were  then  under 
their  care  161  missionaries,  who  were  laboring  in 
twenty- one  difPerent  provinces  or  countries,  at  120 
stations  and  in  253  schools,  in  which  there  were 
20,500  i)upils.  Not  less  than  90,500  people  were  re- 
ceiving si^iritual  instruction  from  these  Christian 
teachers.    Such  missionary  activity  as  this  has  hardly 


88  CBRISTIAN  LIFE  m  GERMANY 

a  parallel  iji  the  history  of  the  church.  The  entire 
Moravian  community  is  a  missionary  society,  every 
member  of  which  is  ready  to  go  wherever  he  is  asked 
to  go,  and  whose  ruling  purj)ose  is  to  preach  the 
Gospel. 

The  present  interest  in  missions,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  that  among  the  Moravians,  dates  back  to  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century.  It  began  with  the 
awakening  interest  in  spiritual  things  so  generally 
manifest  in  different  sections  of  Germany  during 
and  at  the  close  of  the  wars  for  freedom.  As  the 
majority  of  the  pulpits  in  the  Church  were  then  filled 
by  men  who  were  inclined  to  Rationalism,  if  not 
openly  its  advocates,  and  therefore  indifferent  to 
evangelistic  work  either  at  home  or  abroad,  the  first 
steps  in  the  formation  of  missionary  societies  were 
taken  by  those  pastors  whose  hearts  the  Lord  had 
touched,  and  whose  eyes  the  Lord  had  opened.  For- 
tunately, these  societies  have  been  from  the  first,  in- 
dependent of  ecclesiastical  authority.  If  the  Church, 
represented  by  her  leading  men,  refused  her  sanc- 
tion to  the  proceedings  of  some  of  her  more  zealous 
members,  she  could  not  complain  if  they  sought  to 
discharge  their  Christian  duty  through  channels 
which  they  themselves  opened  and  controlled.  The 
organization  of  these  missionary  societies  has  been 
very  simple,  and  representative  only  of  those  who 
contribute  to  their  treasuries.  A  thorougly  compe- 
tent committee  chooses  a  Secretary  or  an  Inspector, 
who  is  responsible  for  the  direction  of  the  work. 
More  than  anyone  else,  he  decides  who  shall  be  sent 
out  as  missionaries,  the  kind  of  education  they  shall 
first  receive,  the  fields  they  shall  cultivate,  the  methods 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  89 

they  shall  pursue.  It  is  from  his  pen  that  appeals  go 
to  the  Churches  and  individuals  for  funds.  He  con- 
ducts the  correspondence  with  the  missionaries,  and 
makes  up  the  annual  reports.  In  a  very  important 
sense  the  Secretary  of  any  given  society  is  the  so- 
ciety itself.  The  aim  of  all  missionary  work  has 
been,  and  continues  to  be,  to  gather  self-sustaining 
and  self=propagating  communities  in  foreign  lands. 
The  standard  of  Christian  living  has  been  high. 
None  are  received  into  the  Christian  community  save 
the  children  of  believers,  except  upon  an  intelligent 
acceptance  of  Jesus  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God  and 
the  Forgiver  of  sins. 

Neither  at  the  beginning  of  this  foreign  work,  nor  till 
now,  has  it  been  thought  wise  to  send  out  ministers 
alone.  Men  representing  various  trades  and  conditions 
of  life  have  been  received  and  commissioned  in  order 
that  native  communities  might  the  sooner  become 
civilized,  or  taught  how  to  live  in  a  civilized  way,  and 
how  to  sustain  themselves  by  their  own  industry. 
Although  the  Leipzig  Society  was  formed  with  the 
intention  of  sending  out  University  men  alone,  that 
plan  has  been  abandoned.  None  of  the  societies  now 
attempt  to  secure  University  men  alone,  but  select 
their  candidates  without  regard  to  their  rank,  from 
among  those  who  have  the  requisite  piety,  and  other 
gifts  of  mind  and  heart,  and  train  them  for  the  fields 
to  which  they  are  to  be  assigned  in  schools  established 
for  this  purpose.  This  course  of  training  in  general 
extends  over  six  years,  and  if  necessary  may  be  pro- 
longed. Unmarried  women  have  not  as  yet  been  em- 
ployed in  the  foreign  field,  to  any  great  extent,  al- 
though the  experience  of  other  countries  has  led  to 


90  CHEISTIAN  LIFE  TN  GERMANY 

a  favorable  consideration  of  the  service  they  are 
fitted  to  render,  and  to  tlie  commissioiiing  of  a  num- 
ber of  them.  Great  care  has  been  taken  in  the  se- 
lection of  wives  for  missionaries,  and  the  heroism 
which  husbands  and  wives  have  exhibited,  and  the 
brilliant  success  they  have  attained,  show  that  this 
care  has  not  been  exercised  in  vain. 

There  are  at  present  sixteen  societies  engaged  in 
foreign  missionary  work.  Their  united  income  ia 
about  three  and  one=half  million  marks  annually,  or 
four  and  onehalf  millions  if  the  million  marks  ob- 
tained by  the  Moravians  from  the  fields  they  culti- 
vate, and  the  industries  they  engage  in,  be  added. 
They  sustain  625  missionaries  in  addition  to  native 
helpers,  and  have  gathered  into  Christian  communi- 
ties not  far  from  260,000  professed  converts.  No 
one  can  visit  these  communities  without  being  im- 
pressed with  the  very  great  difference  between  them 
and  the  heathen  communities  round  about  them. 

Appended,  arranged  in  the  order  of  their  forma- 
tion, are  the  names  of  those  missionary  societies 
with  a  brief  account  of  their  organization,  the  fields 
of  their  activity,  the  sources  of  their  income,  the 
number  of  laborers  they  support,  and,  so  far  as  figures 
can  state  them,  the  results  of  their  labors. 

1 — At  the  head  of  the  list,  as  has  been  already  said, 
stands  the  Moravian  Missionary  Society,  which  be- 
gan its  work  under  Count  Zinzendorf's  direction  in 
1732.  Its  headquarters  are  at  Herrnhut,  although 
two= thirds  of  the  Moravian  communities  are  in  Eng- 
land and  America.  Representatives  from  among 
these  self=sacrificing  Christians  have  toiled  among  the 
slaves  on   eight  of  the  West  India  Islands,  among 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  91 

the  communities  in  Greenland  and  Labrador,  among 
the  Indians  of  North  America,  in  Central  America,  in 
Surinam,  in  Australia,  and  on  the  snowy  heights  of 
the  Himalayas.  At  the  last  reports,  123  main  stations 
were  cared  for,  with  which,  orderly  communities,  many 
of  them  fully  self=sustaining,  containing  92,000  souls, 
had  been  associated.  Of  the  1,452,150  marks  ex- 
pended in  1894,  all  but  494,685  marks  came  from  the 
mission  fields,  either  as  the  gifts  of  converts,  or  as 
the  profits  of  industries  or  trades  in  which  the  mis- 
sionaries are  interested,  or  are  carrying  on. 

2 — The  Basel  Society,  formed  in  1813,  is  essentially 
a  German  Society,  although  its  mission  house  is  in 
Basel,  Switzerland,  It  began  its  work  in  the  Cau- 
casus, but  in  consequence  of  a  decree  of  the  Czar  in 
1835,  it  was  obliged  to  abandon  it.  The  influence  of 
the  mission  was  not,  however,  wholly  destroyed  by 
the  withdrawal  of  the  missionaries.  Lutheran  com- 
munities formed  in  this  region,  and  continuing  to  the 
present  time,  attest  the  fidelity  of  the  early  mission- 
aries, and  the  excellence  of  the  foundations  which 
they  laid. 

The  Society  now  has  three  fields  which  it  seeks  to 
cultivate,  one  in  West  Africa,  one  in  India,  and  one 
in  China.  On  the  Gold  Coast,  West  Africa,  it  has  ten 
main  stations,  where  the  missionaries  look  after 
11,261  Christians.  Connected  with  the  Cameroon's 
mission  are  four  stations  into  which  only  about  700 
professed  Christians  have  been  gathered.  On  the 
Southwest  coast  of  India  there  are  twenty4hree  sta- 
tions, into  which  have  come  more  than  11,000  be- 
lievers. In  Hongkong,  and  in  the  province  of  Can- 
ton, China,  are  fourteen  stations  with  3,600  converts. 


92  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

The  Society  sustained  in  1893,  191  male  missionaries, 
and  101  female  missionaries.  Of  the  latter,  four  were 
young  women.  In  its  schools  were  more  than  12,000 
pupils.  It  represents  both  the  Lutheran  and  the  Re- 
formed Churches,  and  has  no  difficulty  in  carrying  on 
its  work  abroad  on  a  strictly  Gospel  basis,  although  it 
is  thought  that  missionaries  ,  have  been  influenced, 
more  or  less,  doctrinally,  by  the  views  of  the  Inspec- 
tor, or,  as  we  would  say,  the  Secretary,  of  the  Society, 

The  income  of  this  Society,  exclusive  of  115,400 
marks  raised  on  the  mission  fields,  was,  at  the  last  re- 
ports, 942,620  marks,  and  was  contributed  by  people 
living  in  Switzerland,  Southern  Germany,  and  the 
province  of  Wiirttemberg. 

The  following  facts  gleaned  from  the  history  of  the 
Society  will  doubtless  be  found  of  interest.  As  early 
as  1800,  pastor  Janicke,  of  Berlin,  opened  a  school  for 
the  training  of  missionaries.  He  began  with  seven 
students.  In  the  twenty^seven  years  during  which  he 
continued  to  teach,  he  educated  about  eighty  young 
men,  most  of  whom  entered  the  service  of  missionary 
societies,  formed  either  in  the  Netherlands  or  in  Eng- 
land. Encouraged  by  the  example  of  this  devoted 
man,  C  E.  Spittler,  of  Wurttemberg,  in  union  with 
0.  E.  Blumhardt  and  F.  Steinkopf,  opened  a  school 
for  the  training  of  missionaries  in  Basel.  At  first 
they  had  no  intention  of  forming  societies  for  the  sup- 
port of  their  pupils  in  foreign  countries.  They  were 
satisfied  to  fit  them  for  work  in  connection  with  so- 
cieties already  organized  in  other  nations.  The  com- 
mittee through  whose  agency  the  school  was  estab- 
lished, was  formed  Sept.  25,  1815.  The  school  was 
opened  Aug.  26th,  1816,  with  seven  pupils.    Blum- 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  93 

hardt  was  at  its  head,  and  soon  became  Inspector  of 
the  Missionary  Society,  which  grew  out  of  it.  He  was 
a  man  of  great  wisdom  and  laid  the  foundations  of  the 
Society  deep  and  strong.  His  successor  (1839),  Wil- 
liam Hoffmann,  was  a  man  of  rare  gifts  and  large 
faith,  who  was  able  to  interest  the  so-called  educated 
world  in  foreign  missions.  This  was  for  the  time  an 
important  accomplishment.  Gradually  the  Society 
enlarged  its  outlook,  and  although  it  has  continued  to 
receive  the  support  of  Pietistic  circles,  it  soon  won 
and  has  retained  the  confidence  of  large  numbers  who 
do  not  belong  to  those  circles. 

From  1849  to  1879,  Josenhaus  served  as  Inspector. 
A  born  organizer,  he  formulated  the  rules  and  deter- 
mined the  aims  and  spirit  of  the  very  greatly  broad- 
ened and  extended  work,  in  which,  during  these  later 
years,  the  society  has  engaged.  Since  1835,  the 
amount  collected  by  women  in  very  small  sums  {Halb- 
bdtze,  less  than  three  cents),  has  met  about  one=third 
of  the  Society's  expenditure.  In  1860,  a  large  mission 
house  was  erected  at  Basel,  and  steps  were  taken  to 
enlarge  the  work  abroad  as  fast  as  means  would  war- 
rant. A  characteristic  feature  of  the  Basel  Society  is 
the  favor  it  shows  to  missionary  trading  societies,  in 
Africa  and  India,  from  which  considerable  profit  ac- 
crues. The  future  of  this,  the  oldest  of  the  Grerman 
Societies  of  the  century,  is  exceedingly  hopeful.  With 
a  steadily  increasing  income,  its  work  is  sure  to  grow 
in  importance  and  usefulness. 

3 — A  third  Society  of  great  influence  is  the  Society 
generally  spoken  of  as  Berlin  I  or  "  the  Society  for  the 
establishment  of  evangelical  missions  among  the 
heathen,  at  Berlin."    This  Society  has  an  income  of 


94  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

about  360,000  marks  a  year.  It  is  obtained  chiefly 
from  East  Prussia.  In  doctrine  it  represents  the  Con- 
fessionel,  or  extreme  orthodox  party.  It  requires  its 
missionaries,  of  whom  it  supports  seventy,  to  accept 
the  Augsburg  Confession.  Founded  in  1824,  as  the 
result  of  a  call  issued  the  previous  year  by  ten  distin- 
guished Christian  gentlemen  of  Berlin,  it  did  not  send 
out  any  missionaries  till  ten  years  later,  although  it 
planned  to  do  so,  and  opened  its  seminary  in  1830. 
For  a  long  time,  its  only  field  was  a  very  extensive 
one  in  South  Africa,  where  it  has  stations  in  Cape 
Colony,  Kaffirland,  in  the  Orange  Free  State,  in  the 
Transvaal,  and  in  Natal,  There  are  fifty-three  stations 
in  this  field  numbering  26,000  Christians.  More  than 
4,000  children  are  taught  in  the  schools.  For  thirty 
years  the  results  were  small,  but  with  true  Christian 
patience  the  Society  toiled  on;  and  now,  and  indeed 
for  the  last  fifteen  years,  the  results  have  been  en- 
couraging. In  Africa,  there  are  54  ordained  and  five 
unordained  missionaries.  There  are  also  12  paid  and 
376  unj)aid  helpers.  The  Society  has  a  mission  in 
Canton,  and  a  Christian  following  there  of  900  per- 
sons. It  has  planted  a  station  in  Dutch  East  Africa, 
and  another  on  Lake  Nyassa,  in  the  interior  of  the 
"  Dark  Continent."  Through  the  earnestness  of  its 
managers  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  foreign  missions 
has  been  excited  at  home. 

4 — The  Missionary  Society  of  the  Khine  and 
Westphalia,  or,  since  its  headquarters  are  at  Bar- 
men, the  Barmen  Society,  was  founded  in  1828.  In 
1893,  it  had  an  income  of  444,681  marks,  obtained 
almost  entirely  from  the  Rhine  Provinces  and  West- 
phalia.    Its  101  missionaries,  men  and  women,  occu- 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  95 

py  four  large  districts  in  West  Africa,  India,  China, 
and  New  Guinea.  In  West  Africa,  its  28  stations, 
with  their  more  than  28,000  adherents,  are  scattered 
like  a  net  over  Cape  Colony,  Namaqua,  and  Herero 
Land.  The  Cape  Colony  stations  have  become 
self-supporting,  and  contribute  regularly  to  the 
sustaining  of  stations  further  north.  In  what  is 
called  the  India  of  the  Netherlands,  the  Society  has 
32  stations.  These  are  situated  in  Borneo,  Sumatra, 
and  Nias.  In  Borneo,  the  work  suffered,  in  1859, 
severe  persecutions,  from  v/hicli  it  v;as  a  long  time  in 
rallying.  In  Sumatra,  success  from  the  first  has 
been  beyond  the  Society's  most  ardent  anticipations. 
More  than  32,000  persons  have  confessed  Christ. 
Native  preachers  and  teachers  are  trained  in  a  theo- 
logical seminary  in  the  mission.  The  prospect  at 
Nias  is  encouraging.  In  the  province  of  Canton, 
there  are  three  stations,  and  nearly  300  believers.  In 
consequence  of  heavy  financial  losses,  the  Society  was 
compelled,  in  1881,  to  turn  over  the  larger  portion  of 
its  work  in  China  to  the  Basel  Society,  and  to  Ber- 
lin I.  It  has  recently  entered  Kaiser  Wilhelm's  Land 
in  New  Guinea,  where  it  already  has  over  7,000 
pupils  in  its  schools.  At  the  close  of  1893,  it  had  51 
students  in  its  mission  house  at  Barmen. 

The  history  of  this  Society,  like  that  of  many 
others,  shows  how  the  Spirit  of  God  prepares  His 
children  for  the  great  work  they  are  called  upon  to 
take  up.  In  1799,  a  small  missionary  Society  was 
formed  at  Elberfeld,  to  circulate,  within  a  limited 
area,  news  concerning  the  extension  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God  in  heathen  lands.  Through  the  influence  of 
Blurnhardt,  in  1815,  a  missionary  union  was  formed 


9$  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

in  Barmen,  which  subsequently  united  with  the 
Society  in  Basel.  About  1825,  a  missionary  estab- 
lishment was  called  into  existence  in  Barmen,  and  in 
1828,  through  the  union  of  the  Societies  of  Barmen, 
Elberfeld,  Cologne,  Wesel,  and  Kavensberg,  the 
Society  of  the  Rhine  was  organized.  Its  first  mis- 
sionaries went  to  South  Africa  in  1829,  where  very 
hard  work  was  done,  and  very  remarkable  success 
obtained.  Doctrinal  differences  and  discussions  at 
home  have  somewhat  diminished  the  income  of  the 
Society  and  crippled  its  work.  In  1898,  nine  mis- 
sionaries were  ordained  and  commissioned.  Two 
returned  for  needed  rest,  and  eleven  women  were  sent 
out. 

5 — The  North  Dutch,  or,  since  its  mission  house  is  at 
Bremen,  the  Breme  See  Missionary  Society,  like  the 
Barmen  organization,  grew  out  of  the  union  of  several 
small  missionary  societies.  It  was  organized  in  1836, 
and  opened  its  training  school  at  Hamburg  the  follow- 
ing year.  For  fourteen  years,  or  till  the  training  school 
was  closed  and  the  headquarters  v>'ere  moved  from 
Hamburg  to  Bremen,  doctrinal  differences  impeded 
the  work  of  the  Society  at  home.  The  Society  seeks 
to  furnish  a  platform  satisfactory  both  to  Lutherans 
and  to  members  of  the  Reformed  Church,  and  work 
on  the  lines  laid  down  has,  since  1850,  been  measura- 
bly successful.  In  1846,  its  first  missionaries,  six  in 
number,  were  sent  to  New  Zealand,  where,  without 
any  additional  helj)ers  from  Germany,  they  have 
evangelized  the  people  among  whom  they  settled. 
The  next  year  (1847),  the  Society  began  a  mission 
on  the  Slave  Coast,  in  Africa,  where  it  has  since, 
very  largely,  concentrated  its  labors.     Here,  its  vie- 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  97 

tories  have  been  won  at  great  cost  of  human  life,  and 
in  the  face  of  constant  and  unceasing  difficulties.  At 
four  stations,  it  now  has  about  1,000  baptized  persons 
in  its  parishes,  while  the  prospects  of  more  rapid 
growth  are  cheering.  Recently,  work  has  been 
started  in  Togoland.  The  Society  has  only  ten  mis- 
sionaries in  its  service.  More  than  half  its  income 
of  124,879  marks,  comes  from  the  city  of  Bremen. 
Its  missionary  candidates  are  educated  at  Basel. 

6 — The  Leipzig  Evangelical  Society  was  intended 
to  take  up  the  work  and  enter  into  the  labors  of  the 
old  Danish=Halle  Society.  As  early  as  1819  an  evan- 
gelical missionary  Society  was  formed  at  Dresden  and 
brought  into  working  relations  with  the  Basel  Soci- 
ety. The  increased  attention  given  to  Lutheran 
doctrine  led  to  withdrawal  from  Basel,  in  1882,  and 
to  the  opening  of  a  training  school  at  Dresden  in  the 
following  year.  In  August  1836,  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Missionary  Society  was  organized,  and 
missionaries  were  sent  to  Southern  Australia,  where 
they  soon  became  pastors  of  Churches  formed  of 
German  emigrants.  A  little  later,  missionaries  were 
sent  out  to  Southern  India.  In  1845,  Trankebar,  the 
seat  of  the  earlier  missionary  work,  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  English  Government,  and  in  1847  the 
Danish  Missions'  College,  and  the  community  gath- 
ered about  it,  were  received  by  the  Dresden  Society. 
Work  was  also  begun  in  other  jjarts  of  India.  Under 
the  influence  of  Rev.  Dr.  Graul,  who  was  Inspector 
of  the  Society  from  1844  to  1860,  its  work  assumed 
new  and  increasing  importance.  He  removed  its 
headquarters  to  Leipzig,  and  sought  to  make  it  the 
ageucy  through   which    German  Lutherans  should 


98  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

discharge  their  missionary  obligations.  In  1879,  a 
seminary  for  the  training  of  candidates  for  the 
foreign  field  was  established.  Hitherto  it  had  been 
the  policy  to  send  out  University  men  alone.  Al- 
though compelled  to  depart  from  its  early  custom,  it 
yet  set  up,  and  still  maintains,  a  high  educational 
standard  in  its  training  school.  In  the  year  1878- 
1879,  over  2,500  persons  were  added  to  the  missionary 
communities. 

The  chief  work  of  this  Missionary  Society  is 
among  the  Tamuls  of  India.  Here,  in  twenty=nine 
stations,  are  gathered  14,000  professed  Christians, 
and  in  its  schools,  over  5,000  pupils.  It  has  a  theo- 
logical seminary,  near  Trankebar,  for  the  training  of 
native  preachers  and  teachers.  It  emi^loys  twenty- 
nine  missionaries,  seventeen  native  preachers  and 
seventy-eight  catechists.  It  has  sent  out  pastors  to 
Rangoon  to  look  after  the  spiritual  interests  of  Ger- 
mans living  in  that  city.  To  its  income  of  339,000 
marks  in  1894,  Saxony,  Bavaria,  Hanover,  Mecklen- 
burg, and  the  Baltic  Provinces  contributed.  The 
society  has  opened  a  mission  in  Dutch  East  Africa, 
near  Kilima  Njaro. 

7 — A  seventh  society  is  the  Gossner  Missionary 
Union,  or  Berlin  II.  This  Union  was  formed  in  1836 
by  Johannes  Gossner,  the  famous  pastor  of  Berlin, 
then  in  the  sixty4hird  year  of  his  age.  Dissatisfied 
with  the  older  Berlin  Society,  on  account  of  the  too 
great  emphasis  its  managers  were  putting  on  ortho- 
doxy, or  the  doctrines  of  the  Confessionel  party,  and 
the  intellectual  requirements  upon  which  they  in- 
sisted, he  opened  in  1836  his  school  for  the  training 
of  candidates  for  the  missionary  field.     One  of  his 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  99 

fundamental  principles  was  that  missionaries  should 
be  self=supporting.  He  taught  them  trades,  as  well 
as  theology,  and  insisted  on  the  formation  of  a  truly 
manly,  as  well  as  a  Christian,  character.  In  ten  years 
he  sent  out  eight  efficient  men.  These  found  fields 
of  work,  for  the  most  part,  in  connection  with  other 
than  German  Societies,  in  Australia,  India,  North 
America,  and  West  Africa.  During  the  second  ten 
years  of  his  missionary  activity,  twenty-five  of  his 
pupils  went  to  the  Indian  Archipelago,  and  thirty- 
three  to  stations  on  the  Ganges  and  among  the  Kohls. 
Among  the  latter  the  ingathering  was  a  rich  one. 

After  Pastor  Gossner's  death,  in  1858,  a  Committee 
and  an  Inspector  took  his  place.  Gradually  some  of 
the  earlier  princijples  were  dropiaed.  At  present  the 
work  is  confined  to  the  Kohls,  and  to  stations  on  the 
Ganges.  In  1868,  work  among  the  Kohls  suffered 
severely  from  an  unjust  invasion  by  Anglicans  and 
Jesuits,  but  even  now  not  far  from  40,000  Kohls  pro- 
fess conversion.  These  are  under  the  care  of  twenty- 
one  ordained  missionaries,  seventeen  native  pastors, 
185  catechists,  and  eighty^five  teachers.  The  income 
of  the  society  in  1892  was  159,880  marks,  its  expendi- 
tures 188,492  marks.  The  income  is  furnished  from 
no  particular  section  of  Germany,  but  by  those, 
wherever  they  live,  who  are  in  sympathy  with  the 
principles  on  which  it  was  founded  and  on  which  it 
is  at  present  managed. 

In  close  connection  with  this  Union,  is  the  East 
Friesland  Missionary  Society,  a  small  organization 
which  is  neither  exactly  a  Society  nor  a  Union.  It 
was  formed  in  1834  by  Pastor  Fischer,  and  in  1877 
attached  itself,  with  its  income  of  from  15,000  to 


100  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

18,000  marks,  to  the  Gossner  Union.  The  Confes- 
sionel  party  in  East  Friesland  founded  a  preparatory 
school  in  1884,  and  a  training  establishment  in  1889. 
It  supports  one  of  the  Hermannsburg  stations.  Its 
income  is  about  10,000  marks, 

8 — The  Hermannsburg  Mission  was  founded  by 
Pastor  Ludvig  Harms,  of  Hermannsburg,  Hannover, 
who  died  in  1865,  and  is  largely  sustained  by  the 
gifts  of  a  single  community.  At  first  he  was  zeal- 
ously engaged  in  the  founding  of  the  North  Dutch 
Society.  In  1849,  Harms  persuaded  his  parish  to 
undertake  the  support  of  a  mission  colony  alone.  He 
preferred  to  call  his  mission  the  "  Peasants'  Mission." 
After  four  years  of  training,  twelve  missionaries  and 
eight  colonists  sailed  on  their  own  ship  to  Natal. 
For  a  while  every  four  years,  then  every  two  years, 
other  colonists  were  sent  out.  In  1866  work  was 
undertaken  in  India,  among  the  Telegus;  in  1875  in 
New  Zealand;  and  afterwards  in  the  interior  of  Aus- 
tralia. Through  the  Nestorian,  Pera  Johannes,  work 
was  in  1880  begun  in  Persia,  sustained  chiefly  by  the 
Lutherans  of  Alsace.  After  the  death  of  its  founder, 
his  brother,  Theodore  Harms,  became  Inspector,  but 
on  account  of  the  introduction  of  new  ceremonies,  he 
v/ithdrew  from  the  Hannoverian  Church.  The  Zulu 
War,  in  1878,  was  disastrous  to  much  of  the  Society's 
work  in  Zululand,  nor  has  it  yet  fully  recovered  from 
the  set-backs  then  received.  Naturally,  difficulties 
would  arise  on  the  mission  fields  among  laborers 
sent  out,  as  those  were  from  Hermannsburg.  It  is 
not  surprising  that  in  1884  new  regulations  were  in- 
troduced. From  sheer  necessity  some  of  the  mission- 
aries had  been  compelled  to  take  up  trades.    In  1885, 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  101 

Egmoiit  Harms  succeeded  his  father  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  mission,  and  in  1890  all  diiSculties  be- 
tween the  mission  and  the  Church  of  the  Province 
were  amicably  settled.  But  the  supx3orters  of  this 
mission  were  not  all  of  one  mind.  In  1892,  what  is 
known  as  "  The  Free  Church  of  Hannover,"  with  ten 
pastors,  and  six  pastors  from  the  Hermannsburg  sup- 
porters, united  to  found  a  mission  in  Africa,  and  an- 
other in  New  Zealand.  The  Hermannsburg  commu- 
nity, under  Pastor  Ehlers,  with  its  2,000  souls,  re- 
mains true  to  the  old  Society.  The  Society  has  no 
schools.  It  emphasizes  pure  doctrine,  even  more 
strongly  than  the  orthodox  party  of  the  other  Lu- 
theran Missionary  bodies.  In  South  Africa  it  has 
fifty  stations,  with  nearly  20,000  adherents;  twenty- 
three  in  the  Zulu  district,  and  twenty=seven  in  the 
Teschuana  district.  In  India  there  are  nine  stations. 
In  the  year  1892,  it  had  in  its  employ  sixty-one  mis- 
sionaries, and  314  native  helpers.  Its  income  for 
that  year  was  272,576  marks,  furnished  by  the  prov- 
ince of  Hannover,  although  no  inconsiderable  por- 
tion of  it  came  from  Hermannsburg  itself. 

To  these  eight  important  Protestant  Missionary  So- 
cieties are  to  be  added  eight  smaller  Societies, 
which  have  sprung  into  existence  for  reasons  which 
seemed  to  require  their  formation. 

9 — The  Pilgrim  Mission  of  St.  Chrischona,  near 
Basel,  founded  in  1848  by  Spittler,  who  had  been  one 
of  the  fathers  of  the  Basel  Mission,  is  at  present  do- 
ing very  little  strictly  missionary  work.  Prior  to 
1886  it  had  missions  in  Egypt,  and  among  the  Gal- 
las  of  Abyssinia,  a  country  which  the  king  compelled 
them  to  leave.     It  is  now  carrying  on  its  work  among 


102  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

nominal  Christians  in  the  East.  The  Syrian  Orphan 
House  in  Jerusalem  has  become  self  supporting,  and 
its  managers  do  some  mission  work  in  the  city.  Its 
income,  according  to  the  latest  returns,  was  47,812 
marks. 

10 — The  Jerusalem  Union,  formed,  in  1852,  in 
connection  with  the  establishment  of  the  English^ 
German  Bishopric  of  Jerusalem,  at  the  pressing  re- 
quest and  under  the  influence  of  Bishop  Gobat,  who 
was  aided  in  his  efforts  by  the  Chevalier  von  Bunsen, 
has  sought  to  reach  nominal  Christians,  German  and 
English,  living  in  Palestine.  Its  income  is  about 
30,000  marks.  The  cost  of  Bishop  Gobat's  school, 
which  is  still  prosperous,  is  not  far  from  15,000  marks 
annually. 

11 — The  Schleswig^Holstein  Missionary  Society, 
often  called  the  Breklumer  Society,  from  its  head- 
quarters at  Breklum,  was  founded  in  1877.  Great 
interest  in  missions  in  these  Provinces  had  been  ex- 
cited by  Pastor  Clans  Harms,  prior  to  his  death  in 
1855.  Before  his  time,  men  like  P.  Dame,  who  died 
in  India  in  1766,  Hiis,  who  served  the  Basel  Society 
in  West  Africa,  and  Rasmus  Schmidt,  who  joined 
the  Moravians  and  died  in  1845,  had  done  not  a  little 
to  direct  attention  to  work  abroad.  Bishop  Koop- 
mann,  and  a  leading  member  of  the  Consistory,  Mr. 
Versmann,  having  carefully  cultivated  this  feeling  of 
obligation  to  the  heathen  world,  the  gifted  Pastor 
Jensen,  of  Breklum,  founded  a  society  on  his  own  re- 
sponsibility, Sept.  19th,  1876.  On  the  tenth  of  April 
in  the  following  year  the  mission  house  at  this  place 
was  dedicated.  November  24, 1881,  the  first  mission- 
aries, four  in  number,  were   ordained.     The  Society 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  103 

has  six  stations  and  eleven  missionaries  among  the 
Telegus  in  India,  but  has  not  yet  established  any 
Christian  communities.  These  will  no  doubt  come 
later.  The  income,  in  1892,  secured  in  the  two  Prov- 
inces it  represents,  was  54,102  marks.  Unfortunately 
disagreements  between  Pastor  Jansen  and  the  man- 
agers of  the  Society,  or  rather  with  its  Inspector, 
led  to  the  withdra\val  of  the  former  in  1893,  and  to 
the  formation  of  another  Broklumer  Society.  It  is 
hoped  that  the  two  societies  will  reunite  ere  long. 

12 — The  Neukirche  Missionary  Establishment,  so 
called  from  the  city,  near  Mors,  in  which  it  was 
founded,  in  1882,  by  Pastor  Doll,  has  seven  stations 
in  Java,  managed  by  four  missionaries  and  twenty- 
three  native  helpers.  It  has  two  stations  in  East 
Africa,  under  the  care  of  five  missionaries.  Its  mis- 
sion house  and  all  its  work  depend  for  support  on 
gifts  received  in  answer  to  prayer.  The  income  in 
1892  was  52,577  marks,  out  of  which  an  Orphan 
Asylum  and  nine  evangelists  employed  in  home  work, 
were  sustained. 

13 — The  Missionary  Establishment  in  Neuendet- 
telsau,  Bavaria,  opened  in  1843,  educates  preachers 
for  the  Germans  in  America  and  Australia.  Since 
1880,  it  has  had  a  missionary  station  in  Dutch  New 
Guinea,  where  eight  persons  are  at  work.  Its  income 
in  1892  for  missions  was  21,325  marks. 

14 — The  General  Evangelical  Missionary  Union 
was  formed  at  Frankfurt,  April  11, 1883,  to  represent 
the  liberal  element  among  the  Lutherans  of  Germany 
and  Switzerland.  It  seeks  to  reach  the  more  cultured 
heathen  peoples.  It  has  four  male  and  one  female 
missionary  in  Japan,  where  it  has  gathered  several 


104  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

small  communities,  and  opened  a  seminary  for  the 
training  of  Japanese  preachers.  It  has  two  mission- 
aries in  China.  Two  German  parishes  in  Japan,  and 
one  parish  in  Shanghai,  are  cared  for.  In  1892  its 
income  of  88,753  marks,  derived  from  the  whole  of 
Germany  and  from  Switzerland,  was  less  than  that  of 
the  previous  year  by  more  than  four  thousand  marks. 

15 — The  Society  for  Evangelical  Lutheran  Mis- 
sions in  East  Africa,  founded  in  1886  at  Hersbruck, 
in  Bavaria,  as  the  result  of  the  efforts  of  Pastor  Itta- 
meier,  has  received  under  its  care  persons  educated  in 
the  Neuendettelsauer  missionary  establishment,  and 
employs  them  at  three  stations  among  the  Wakamba. 
Its  income  in  1892,  was  23,400  marks.  This,  togeth- 
er with  a  capital  of  67,000  marks,  and  its  stations,  it 
transferred  in  1892  to  the  Leipzig  Society. 

16 — An  Evangelical  Society  for  Dutch  East  Africa, 
(Berlin  III.)  was  organized  in  Berlin  in  1886,  by 
Pastor  Diestelkamp.  Its  operations  are  conducted 
in  Daressalaam,  Tanga,  and  Hohenfriedeberg  and 
Hoffnungshohe  in  the  interior.  Pastor  von  Bodel- 
schwingh,  of  Bielefeld,  furnishes  deaconesses  and 
sisters  for  its  service.  Its  income  is  only  about 
17,700  marks  a  year. 

These  are  really  all  the  distinctively  Missionary 
Societies  of  the  country,  although  there  are  at  least 
half  a  dozen  others,  working  here  and  there  for  some 
special  purpose,  or  on  account  of  some  special  views 
as  to  the  proper  methods  of  sending  the  Gospel  to 
the  heathen. 

A  Dutch  China  Alliance  Mission  was  established 
1890,  at  Barmen,  under  the  influence  of  P.  Transon, 
a   Swede,  who  aroused  much   enthusiasm  in  many 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  105 

circles  for  the  Inland  Mission  of  Hudson  Taylor. 
The  amount  of  its  income  is  not  yet  given,  but  during 
the  years  1890-92  eight  persons  were  sent  to  China. 

In  Berlin,  in  1891,  Pastor  Scheve  formed  a  Mis- 
sionary Union  for  Cameroon;  but  its  first  missionary, 
Steffins,  died  in  October,  1893,  and  this  for  a  time 
hindered  its  operations. 

Several  Unions,  like  that  of  the  East  Friesian, 
which  has  existed  for  fifty  years,  the  Konigsberg 
Missionary  Society,  the  Central  Missionary  Union  of 
Bavaria,  the  Cameroon  Union  in  Stuttgart,  and  many 
others  which  do  not  send  out  missionaries,  furnish 
money  for  the  above  named  Societies. 

It  must  have  been  observed  that  several  of  the  later 
Societies  were  formed  in  order  to  meet  the  wants  of 
those  portions  of  Africa  which  have  recently  come 
under  German  protection.  The  extension  of  "  the 
German  sphere  of  influence  "  has  awakened  a  sense 
of  obligation  to  the  people  living  in  the  regions  em- 
braced within  this  sphere.  Thither,  Protestants  and 
Roman  Catholics  alike  are  sending  missionaries,  both 
preachers  and  teachers. 

Three  Unions  of  women,  which,  either  directly,  or 
through  other  Societies,  seek  to  do  mission  work, 
should  here  be  mentioned. 

1 — The  Berlin  Women's  Union  for  China.  This 
was  formed  in  1850  by  Pastor  Kuak.  It  supports  an 
Orphan  House  and  a  Foundling's  Home  at  Bethesda, 
Hongkong.     In  1892  its  income  was  19,362  marks. 

2 — The  Women's  Union  for  the  education  of  women 
in  the  East,  sends  out  teachers  who  usually  work  in 
connection  with  English  Missions  in  India.  The 
Union   was   formed    in    the  house  of   the    wife  of 


lOe  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Minister  Eichorn,  in  1842,  Its  income,  in  1892,  was 
19,775  marks. 

3 — The  Kaiserswerth  Home  sends  out  deaconesses 
to  Palestine  and  other  Oriental  countries,  to  establish 
hospitals  and  open  schools,  as  they  have  opportunity. 
In  1851,  Pastor  Fliedner  sent  four  deaconesses  to 
Palestine,  where  a  school  called  Talitha  Ciimi,  was 
opened,  and  at  once  became  successful.  Almost 
immediately,  110  Arabic  girls  entered  it.  There  are 
schools  and  hospitals  in  Beirut,  Egypt,  and  Smyrna. 
The  income  of  the  Kaiserswerth  establishment  for 
1892  was  218,400  marks. 

The  growing  interest  in  foreign  missionary  service, 
which  has  led  even  the  liberal  element  in  the  church 
to  regard  missionary  work  as  essential  to  the  life  of 
the  Church  at  home,  renders  it  necessary  that  some- 
thing should  be  said  concerning  the  methods,  aims, 
and  sj)irit  in  which  these  missions  are  conducted. 
That  these  may  not  be  misrepresented,  a  summary  of 
them  is  translated  and  condensed  from  Warneck's 
work  named  above. 

The  guiding  principles  of  German  missionary  work, 
as  stated  by  Warneck,  are  these:  The  preaching  of 
the  Gospel  in  the  language  of  the  natives;  the  trans- 
lation of  the  Bible,  or  portions  of  it,  and  the  creation 
of  a  Christian  literature,  as  rapidly  as  may  be,  in  their 
language;  the  establishment  of  schools  of  various 
grades,  beginning  with  those  of  a  primary  grade,  in 
which  teachers  and  preachers  can  be  trained  among 
the  people  for  whom  the  missionaries  labor.  Only  a 
few  Societies,  like  the  Hermannsburg,  disbelieve  in 
schools.    As  a  rule,   the  educational    is    the    more 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  107 

prominent  part  of  German  missionary  work;  yet 
preaching  holds  everywhere  the  highest  j)lace. 

No  persons,  unless  children  of  believers,  are  re- 
ceived by  baptism  into  the  Christian  community, 
except  on  confession  of  personal  faith  in  Jesus  Christ 
as  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  and  in  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins  through  His  grace.  The  conversion  of 
individuals  is  made  the  first  aim,  though  missionaries 
are  encouraged  to  seek  to  Christianize  entire  commu- 
nities, but  always  through  the  employment  of  moral 
and  spiritual  means.  They  are  never  to  degrade  the 
sacrament  of  baptism,  as  the  Eoman  Catholics  do,  by 
the  baptism  of  masses  of  people,  by  death=bed  bap- 
tism.s,  or  by  baptizing  children  secretly.  Baptized 
children,  when  old  enough  to  be  taught,  and  elder 
persons  who  have  been  received  into  the  Christian 
community,  are  gathered  into  classes,  and  instructed 
not  only  in  the  Scriptures  and  the  meaning  of  the 
articles  of  faith  given  in  the  catechism,  bat  are  taught 
that  they  must  hold  themselves  responsible  for  the 
support  of  their  own  schools.  Churches,  teachers,  and 
preachers.  They  are  also  taught  their  obligation  to 
provide  for  the  spiritual  enlightenment  of  other 
communities.  Great  care  is  taken  to  select  and 
educate  promising  pupils  for  native  teachers  and 
preachers. 

Among  the  so=called  "nature  peoples,"  German 
missionaries  seek  to  introduce  the  principles  of  Chris- 
tian civilization,  as  well  as  those  of  Christianity. 
They  seek  to  make  their  inseparable  union  evident. 
In  giving  the  Gospel  to  people  of  culture,  Germans 
feel  that  they  may  soon  entrust  its  proclamation  to  the 


108  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

converts  themselves.  Everywhere  missionaries  are  to 
show  by  their  compassion,  interest  and  sympathy 
that  they  are  the  true  followers  of  Christ. 

Those  who  enter  upon  missionary  service  are  ex- 
pected to  do  so  in  response  to  a  divine  call.  No 
matter  how  low  the  social  rank  of  the  would=be  mis- 
sionary, if  he  approve  himself  by  his  gifts  and  charac- 
ter to  those  who  represent  the  Societies,  he  will  be 
received,  educated,  and  sent  out  to  the  field  of  his 
choice,  where  he  v^'ill  be  sustained  as  long  as  he  is 
able  to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  position.  As  the 
apostles  were  fishermen  and  tax-gatherers,  so  carpen- 
ters, peasants,  tradesmen,  and  other  representatives 
of  the  different  occupations  of  the  home  land,  are 
willingly  set  apart  for  foreign  service.  But  none  are 
commissioned  until  they  have  been  trained  and  fitted 
for  the  special  work  they  are  sent  out  to  do.  The 
missionary  is  responsible  to  the  Society  which  sup- 
ports him,  and  although  granted  large  liberty,  both  in 
doctrine  and  in  methods  of  service,  he  is  yet  expected 
to  carry  out  the  wishes  of  those  who  have  been  en- 
trusted with  the  management  of  the  Society  he  serves. 

The  managers  of  these  Societies  are  chosen  by  those 
who  contribute  to  them.  The  wishes  of  the  contrib- 
utors are  made  known  through  the  various  Unions, 
or  small  local  Societies,  which  gather  the  money 
which  the  larger  Society  expends.  These  larger 
Societies  are  therefore  thoroughly  representative  of 
their  constituents.  Hence  the  number  of  Societies  in 
Germany,  rejjresenting  each  a  locality,  divergence  in 
doctrinal  opinions,  in  methods  of  missionary  proce- 
dure, or  organized  to  meet  some  x^ressing  need  which 
existing  bodies  are  either  overlooking  or  disregarding. 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  109 

The  Bacrifices  M^iicli  some  of  these  missionary 
fields  have  demanded  are  frightful.  Yet  neither  the 
missionaries  themselves,  nor  the  Societies  which  send 
them  out,  have  been  willing  to  abandon  these  fields. 
This  has  been  especially  true  of  those  operating  on  the 
Gold  and  Slave  Coasts  of  Africa.  Of  148  men  and 
81  women  sent  by  the  Basel  Society  from  1828  to 
18S4  to  the  Gold  Coast,  55  men  and  24  women  died. 
Of  the  survivors,  62  men  and  36  women  were  com- 
pelled to  return  home  and  give  up  their  work.  That 
is,  out  of  229  persons  assigned  to  this  field  in  56 
years,  177  either  died  in  it,  or  were  obliged  to  return 
to  their  native  land.  For  ten  years  not  a  convert  was 
made.  At  the  end  of  thirty  years  only  385  had  been 
baptised.  Since  that  time  progress  has  been  more 
rapid.  In  1891  it  could  be  reported  that  10,347  per- 
sons had  been  received  into  the  Christian  community, 
and  that  more  than  5,000  pupils  were  taught  in  the 
schools.  An  almost  equal  fatality,  with  less  apparent 
success,  has  attended  the  efforts  of  the  Bremer 
Society  to  Christianize  the  Slave  Coast;  yet  the  pros- 
pects for  future  growth  here  are  encouraging. 

Missionary  literature  in  Germany  is  abundant  and 
interesting.  The  annual  reports  of  the  larger  soci- 
eties, and  the  magazines  they  publish,  give  fresh  in- 
formation from  the  various  fields,  and  thus  contribute 
not  a  little  to  the  sx)iritual  life  in  the  home  Churches. 
The  work  of  such  men  as  Warneck,  Grundemann, 
and  Gundert,  render  it  easy  for  all  who  will,  to  inform 
themselves  as  to  this  ever-enlarging  field  of  Christian 
activity. 

The  number  of  persons  who  give  to  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, in  proportion  to  the  entire  Protestant  popula- 


110  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

tion  of  Germany,  is,  it  is  true,  small.  Nor  are  the 
gifts  of  the  rich  conspicuous,  as  is  often  the  case  in 
England  and  in  the  United  States.  But  in  propor. 
tion  to  the  number  of  persons  in  the  National  Church 
who  have  really  been  born  again,  the  gifts  for  Foreign 
Missionary  work  are  perhaps  as  large  as  in  either  of 
the  countries  just  named.  Nor  may  we  forget  that 
comparatively  little  general  interest  in  Missions  was 
manifested  even  up  to  the  forties,  and  that  with  the 
excitements  growing  out  of  the  disturbances  of  1848, 
the  war  with  Austria  in  1866,  with  France  in  1870-71, 
and  the  formation  of  the  Empire,  attention  has  nat- 
urally been  drawn  to  political  matters  rather  than  to 
the  work  of  the  Church.  Many  of  the  German 
preachers  have  cared  little  for  foreign  work.  Some 
have  openly  opposed  it.  In  Westphalia,  where  the 
missionary  spirit  is  now  the  strongest,  fifty  years  ago, 
when  Volkenning  gave  missionary  instruction,  gen- 
darmes were  present  to  j)reserve  the  peace.  In  Halle, 
when  Prof.  Guericke  spoke  on  the  subject,  the  pres- 
ence of  the  police  was  necessary.  Now,  men  who 
call  themselves  freethinkers  advocate  the  cause  of 
missions,  and  have  formed  a  society  through  which 
to  spread  their  views.  More  significant  still  is  it  that 
imperial  authority  requires  instruction  to  be  given  in 
the  public  and  the  higher  schools  on  the  nature  and 
work  of  missions,  and  that  such  a  work  as  Warneck's 
"Die  Mission  in  der  Schule,^^  has  reached  a  sixth 
edition. 

To  the  question,  "Why  was  the  interest  in  missions 
BO  long  in  showing  itself  in  this  land  of  the  Re- 
formers?" various  answers  may  be  given.  In  the  six- 
teenth century  the  Reformers  had  all  they  could  do  to 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  111 

protect  themselves  against  Rome,  and  to  preach  the 
GosiDel  as  they  had  discovered  it  anew  in  the  Bible. 
The  century  following  was  disturbed  by  the  Thirty 
Years'  War,  and  by  useless  discussions  of  doctrinal 
subjects.  The  countries  discovered  during  this  cen- 
tury belonged  almost  entirely  to  Spain  and  Portugal, 
and  were  sacredly  set  apart  as  possessions  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church.  For  Protestant  missionary 
activity  there  was,  in  truth,  little  call.  In  the  eight- 
eenth century,  we  have  the  Danish=Halle  Society, 
with  its  work  in  India,  and  the  still  active  Moravian 
Missionary  Communities.  But  for  the  most  part 
work  during  this  century  was  confined,  as  it  was 
thought  it  should  be,  to  the  "still  in  the  land";  i.  e., 
to  the  mystics,  or  pietists,  who  not  infrequently,  in 
the  early  years  of  the  present  century,  sought  spiritual 
nourishment  in  the  so-called  conventicles  rather  than 
in  the  regular  Churches.  The  terrible  war  M'ith 
Napoleon  and  the  final  struggle  for  independence, 
together  with  the  growing  indifference  of  the  common 
people  to  religion  of  any  kind,  and  the  increase  of 
Rationalism  in  the  educated  classes,  with  many 
marked  exceptions,  indeed,  prevented  anything  like 
an  earnest  missionary  work  during  the  first  quarter 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  But  the  quickened  spir- 
itual activity  in  England  made  itself  felt  more  or  less 
on  the  Continent,  and  led  to  attemiDts,  here  and  there, 
to  send  the  Gospel  abroad.  Unsuccessful  in  their 
efforts  to  persuade  the  National  Church  to  take  up 
missionary  work,  those  whose  hearts  drew  them  to  it, 
formed  themselves  into  little  bands,  issued  their  ap- 
peals for  men  and  money,  opened  training  schools, 
selected  the  fields  to  be  cultivated,  and  quietly  began 


112  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

to  send  out  tlieir  missionaries.  Considering  the 
means  at  their  disposal,  these  missionaries  have  ac- 
complished a  great  deal.  They  have  laid  foundations 
upon  which  later  generations  will  have  little  difficulty 
in  rearing  the  institutions  of  a  thoroughly  Christian 
civilization. 

The  question  is  often  asked,  "  Why  do  not  German 
Protestants  unite  in  the  support  of  one  great  Mis- 
sionary Society?"  Partly  because  these  societies 
came  into  existence  before  the  formation  of  the  Em- 
pire, when  the  Provinces  differed  widely  in  their 
political  views,  when  their  Churches  differed  somewhat 
in  doctrine  and  manner  of  working,  and  partly  be- 
cause exact  agreement  on  matters  about  which  it  is 
possible  to  discuss,  is  not  a  German  characteristic. 
Nor  is  it  at  all  probable  that  a  union  of  these  Socie- 
ties would  be  desirable.  Representing  as  they  now 
do,  all  phases  of  Protestant  Christian  life  in  the  Em- 
pire, and  all  phases  of  doctrinal  belief,  they  appeal  to 
local  interests,  as  well  as  to  the  feeling  of  obligation 
which  every  believer  ought  to  feel. 

By  the  present  arrangement,  missionary  knowledge 
is  more  extensively  circulated,  and  is  given  a  more 
personal  interest,  than  would  be  possible  if  there 
were  but  one  great  Society.  As  the  cost  of  adminis- 
tration in  all  these  Societies  is  very  small,  and  the 
local  or  doctrinal  interest  in  them  is  very  decided,  it 
is  doubtful  if  it  would  be  wise  to  advise  their  union 
to  any  considerable  extent. 

Increase  of  funds  is,  however,  very  necessary.  With 
the  increase  of  wealth  in  the  Churches,  with  a  steady 
increase  in  the  number  of  those  who  feel  their  obliga- 
tions to  their  unbelieving  brethren  abroad,  with  the 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS  113 

development  of  lay  activity  in  the  Church,  with  the 
organization  of  Sunday  Schools  in  still  greater  num- 
bers, as  well  as  of  Societies  for  young  men  and 
young  women,  in  which  the  fundamental  teachings 
of  the  Bible  are  not  only  taught,  but  carefully  dis- 
cussed, it  would  seem  probable  that  interest  in  mis- 
sionary work  will  grow  rapidly,  and  be  accompanied 
by  a  corresponding  increase  in  funds  with  which  to 
carry  it  on. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SKETCH  OF  EVENTS  LEADING  TO  THE  ORGANIZATION 
AND  ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  INNER  MISSION. 

With  the  death  of  Luther  and  the  discussions  be- 
tween the  Reformed  and  Lutheran  branches  of  the 
Protestant  Church  in  Germany  and  bordering  coun- 
tries, the  spiritual  power  of  the  Reformation  was 
greatly  w'eakened.  It  seemed  at  times  as  if  it  were 
almost  wholly  gone.  It  was  in  this  condition  of 
things  that  Pietism  appeared  and  accomplished  its 
beneficent  work,  bringing  to  the  front  such  men  as 
Spener  and  Francke,  the  latter  the  founder,  in 
1695,  of  the  now  famous  Orphan  House  at  Halle. 
But  even  Pietism  could  not  fan  life  again  into  a 
Church  which  had  fed  on  theological  disputes  and 
formalism  till  it  had  hardly  any  power  left  for  the 
perception  of  spiritual  truth.  Hence  the  rise  and 
spread  of  Rationalism,  and  its  influence  among  the 
most  cultured  and  original  minds  in  the  country. 
During  the  larger  part  of  the  18th,  and  the  first 
quarter  of  the  19th,  centuries,  the  Church  seemed  to 
be  in  a  profound  slumber.  Ministers  preached  ethi- 
cal discourses,  baptised  and  confirmed  the  children  of 
Church  members,  but  did  not  look  for  any  signs  what- 
ever of  regeneration.  Corresponding  to  the  reign  of 
Deism  in  England,  to  that  of  the  Encyclopedists 
Voltaire  and  Diderot,  in  France  and  French=speaking 

114 


INNER  MISSION  115 

countries,  and  to  the  era  of  French  infidelity  in 
America,  was  the  reign  of  Rationalism,  or  formal 
piety,  in  Germany. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,   as  was   affirmed  in   the 
previous  chapter,  the  wars  in   which  Germany  was 
compelled  to  engage  contributed  not  a  little  to  the 
revival  of  spiritual  religion.     They  opened  the  eyes 
of  the   people   to  a  sense   of  their  responsibilities. 
The  terrible  defeat  at  Jena,  in  the  autumn  of  1806, 
drove  them  to  God  as  their  only  helper  and  defender. 
During  the  subsequent  wars  for  independence  they 
kept  steadily  in  mind  their  absolute  dependence  on 
the  Most  High  for  victory.     Nor  can  it  be  doubted 
that  the  union,  in  1817,  of  the  Lutheran  and  Re- 
formed Churches  in  Prussia,  the  tercentenary  of  the 
Reformation,  under  the  auspices  and  almost  by  the 
command  of  Fred.  Wm.  III.,  was  a  step  of  great  im- 
portance in  the  religious  life  of  the  Prussian  people. 
Literature,  too,    through    the    writings    of    Goethe, 
Herder,  Schiller,  and  Lessing,  had  immense  influence 
in  awakening  religious  thought  and  creating  a  feeling 
of  moral  responsibility  to  God.     The  philosophy  of 
Kant  was  a  still  more  powerful  factor  in  the  change  of 
religious  attitude  which  was  soon  to  appear.    Notwith- 
standing the  apparent  unbelief  in  many  circles,  it  is 
now  admitted  that  the  agitation  in  the  philosophical 
world  caused  by  the  writings  of  Kant,  and  his  success- 
ors, Fichte,  Hegel,  Schelling,  and  by  the  ministry  and 
professorship   of    Schleiermacher   in   Berlin,   was   a 
prime  agency  in  leading  men's  minds  back  to  thoughts 
of  God,  and  to  a  hearty  acceptance  of  the  Christian 
religion.       Since     the   union    of    the   Churches   on 
Luther  day,  1817,  and  the  publication  of  Schleier- 


116  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

macher's  addresses  to  the  thinking  men  of  the  nation, 
there  can  be  traced  a  steadily  growing  interest  in  a 
religion  which  makes  itself  felt  in  life  and  character. 
The  stirring  events  of  1848,  though  mainly  political, 
also  turned  men's  thoughts  to  God,  and  led  the  more 
spiritually  minded  pastors  to  meet  the  spiritual  needs 
of  the  people.  If  the  majority  of  the  pulpits  were  in 
the  hands  of  Rationalists,  a  sufficient  number  were 
controlled  by  men  who  believed  in  the  "  new  birth  " 
and  the  Deity  of  our  Lord  to  give  importance  to  their 
efforts,  and  to  secure  a  hearing  for  their  words. 
Meanwhile,  the  interest  in  Foreign  Missions,  which 
had  become  so  powerful  in  England,  had  reached 
Germany.  Society  after  society  was  formed,  each 
vrith  a  small  constituency,  to  give  the  Gospel  to  the 
heathen.  While  not  undervaluing  this  movement,  nor 
withholding  from  it  their  assistance,  men  like  Flied- 
ner  at  Kaisers werth,  and  Wichern  at  Hamburg,  began 
to  feel  the  necessity  of  doing  something  for  the  hea- 
then at  home.  Hence  the  great  establishment  at  Kai- 
serswerth,  with  its  subsequent  development  of  spirit- 
ual power  for  the  world  through  the  revival  of  the 
order  and  the  work  of  deaconesses.  Hence  the  equally 
important  movement  at  Horm,  near  Hamburg,  led  by 
Wichern,  which  called  into  existence  the  "  Rough 
House,"  and  brought  about  the  re=establishment  of 
the  diaconate  of  the  Primitive  Church.  Never  to  be 
forgotten  for  its  influence  on  the  spiritual  life  of  the 
Evangelical  Church  is  the  Wittenberg  Day  in  the 
Synod  of  1848,  when  the  needs  of  the  people  were  set 
forth  with  great  impressiveness  by  Wichern,  and  the 
Church,  through  its  representatives,  was  persuaded  to 
give  hearty  a^^proval  to  the  work  outlined  by  him,  and 


INNER  MISSION  117 

described  in  the  two  words,  "  Inner  Mission."  This 
work  has  never  been  carried  on  by  the  Church  au- 
thorities as  such.  Although  receiving  its  aid  and 
sympathy,  it  was  first  and  last  a  movement  independ- 
ent of  the  Church  as  a  national  and  political  insti- 
tution. 

The  war  for  the  possession  of  Schleswig-Holstein, 
in  1864,  that  against  Austria  in  186G,  that  against 
France  in  1870-71,  the  favors  which  Bismarck  and 
the  old  Emperor  showed  men  of  simj^le  Christian 
faith,  the  constant  declaration  by  these  men  of  their 
belief  that  they  were  serving  God  in  the  high  stations 
they  filled,  and  their  confident  ajixjeals  to  Him  for  aid, 
deepened  still  further  the  conviction  in  the  minds  of 
the  people  that  true  religion  is  something  greatly  to 
be  desired,  even  as  a  protection  against  one's  enemies. 
Since  the  founding  of  the  Empire  and  the  assumi3- 
tion  of  responsibility  which  that  step  involved,  there 
has  been  a  growing  sense  of  religious  responsibility 
on  the  part  of  many  of  the  wisest  leaders  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  a  more  evident  desire  to  meet  it  through  a 
simpler  and  heartier  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  and  His 
teachings. 

With  eyes  open  to  perceive  the  needs  of  men  and 
women,  who,  through  compliance  with  prescribed 
forms,  had  been  received  into  the  Church,  it  became 
clear  to  large  numbers  of  pastors,  who  had  the  good 
of  their  parishes  at  heart,  as  well  as  to  not  a  few 
among  the  laity,  that  something  ought  to  be  done  to 
save  this  material  which  the  Church  claimed  as  its 
own,  and  to  prevent  the  increase  of  religious  indiffer- 
ence, and  even  of  crime,  on  the  part  of  those  to  whom, 


118  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

in  the  rites  of  baptism  and  confirmation,  the  Church 
had  given  its  blessing. 

As  an  object  lesson,  showing  vvhat  might  be  done, 
there  stood  in  Halle  the  Orphan  House  of  Francke. 
Those  who  were  unable  to  visit  it,  could  read  descrip- 
tions of  its  work,  and,  in  the  writings  of  its  illustrious 
founder,  catch  something  of  his  aims  and  spirit.  In 
these  writings  are  suggestions  of  almost  all  that  the 
Inner  Mission  has  undertaken.  As  preacher,  pro- 
fessor, author  and  organizer  of  educational,  industrial 
and  benevolent  institutions,  Francke  was  far  in  ad- 
vance of  his  time.  For  the  generations  after  him  he 
wrought  more  wisely  and  efficiently  than  he  or  his 
contemporaries  knew. 

Nor  have  the  writings  of  other  Pietists  been  with- 
out a  spiritually  quickening  influence.  Thus  there 
has  grown  up  quietly,  not  as  the  result  of  the  efforts 
of  any  single  man,  but  rather  in  obedience  to  a  heav- 
enly vision  which  many  have  seen,  a  work  fdr  the 
needy  at  home,  which  for  extent,  variety,  and  success, 
may  challenge  the  admiration  of  the  world.  If  its 
primary  object  has  been  preventive,  it  has  never  hesi- 
tated to  undertake,  wherever  possible,  the  less  attrac- 
tive, because  less  hopeful,  work  of  rescuing  the  lost. 

Lovers  of  precedent  as  Germans  are,  reverent 
toward  the  past,  and  ready  to  honor  great  names,  it  is 
only  natural  that,  while  studying  present  conditions 
and  preparing  to  meet  present  needs  without  delay, 
the  founders  of  this  Mission  to  their  own  people 
should  investigate  thoroughly  aiid  with  intense  inter- 
est the  methods  employed  by  the  Church  in  the  past 
to  help  the  jooor,  and  save  from  temporal  and  eternal 
destruction  those  nominally  within  its  fold. 


INNER  MISSION  ll9 

Before  describing  the  work  of  this  Mission  as  it  is 
now  carried  on,  it  will  be  profitable  to  review  briefly 
the  work  done  by  men  to  whom  its  founders  and  man- 
agers have  turned  for  stimulus  and  instruction. 

In  this  historical  sketch,  as  in  all  that  pertains  to 
the  labors  of  the  Inner  Mission,  Schaeffer  (Leitfaden 
der  inneren  Mission)  has  been  freely  followed.  It 
will  aid  us  in  our  understanding  of  the  feeling  and 
purposes  of  the  men  who  in  the  late  forties  and  the 
early  fifties  gave  themselves  to  the  work  of  saving 
"  the  heathen  at  home,"  if  we  look  for  a  moment  at 
benevolence  in  the  time  of  Pietism  and  Rationalism, 
or  as  it  revealed  itself  during  the  period  from  A.  D. 
1650  to  1835.  Spener  is  generally  regarded  as  the 
founder  of  Pietism.  In  doctrine  and  conduct  he  ad- 
hered to  the  principles  of  the  Reformers.  This  is 
hardly  true  of  all  his  successors,  although  they  de- 
declared  it  to  be  their  purpose  to  put  into  practice  the 
principles  of  the  Reformation,  and  through  their  faith 
revive  the  dead.  Undoubtedly  there  was  much  in 
Pietism  which  was  of  very  great  value.  It  filled  an 
important  place  in  the  development  of  Christian  life 
in  Reformation  lands.  But  in  all  its  leaders  we  ob- 
serve a  painful  lack  of  the  freshness  of  spirit  and 
soundness  of  judgment  characteristic  of  Luther.  Its 
tendency  is  toward  a  certain  sort  of  legality,  to  ascetic 
practice  or  aloofness  from  the  world.  It  was  pre- 
served from  destruction  by  the  principle  that  the  way 
to  show  love  for  God  is  to  help  one's  neighbor. 
Through  its  self-sacrifice  for  others  it  preserved  its 
own  life.  It  also  emphasized  the  doctrine  of  person- 
ality. It  saw  the  importance  of  seeking  to  save  indi- 
vidual souls.     Hence  the  effort  of  Francke,  at  Leipzig, 


120  CnmSTlAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

to  interest  his  fellow -students  in  the  study  of  the 
Bible,  his  insistence  during  the  earlier  years  of  his 
ministry  on  the  need  of  personal  regeneration,  and  at 
Halle,  his  intense  interest  in  the  saving  of  neglected 
children.  Hence  the  founding  and  work  of  his  Or- 
phan House,  in  which  the  education  of  these  children 
was  made  the  first  object.  Naturally,  this  philan- 
thropic haven  became  the  center  of  the  Pietistic 
movement,  the  rallying=point  for  those  whose  spiritual 
needs  were  best  met  by  what  Pietism  was  supposed 
to  teach.  The  school  grew,  increasing  rapidly  in  size 
and  influence,  till  now,  with  its  connected  establish- 
ments of  higher  education  and  industry,  it  is  the 
largest  school  in  Germany,  if  not  in  the  world.  Nev- 
ertheless it  may  be  questioned  if  the  system  of  edu- 
cation at  first  pursued  at  Halle  were  altogether  health- 
ful. Though  it  provided  sufficiently  for  the  recrea- 
tion and  amusement  of  the  children,  for  the  forming 
of  little  circles  within  the  Church,  here  and  there* 
over  the  country,  it  tended  to  a  narrowness  and  exclu- 
siveness  which  showed  themselves  later  on  in  spirit- 
ual pride  and  arrogance.  Perhaps,  as  opposed  to 
Rationalism,  the  methods  which  Pietism  chose  to 
follow  were  wise,  although  in  this  latter  day  they  do 
not  altogether  meet  with  approval.  Strange  as  it  at 
first  appears.  Pietism  leads  almost  inevitably  to  Ra- 
tionalism. Faith  in  an  inner  light  encourages  a  con- 
fidence in  self  which  finally  believes  in  nothing  but 
pure  reason. 

In  the  middle  of  the  present  century,  when 
thoughts  of  constitutional  liberty  and  a  revived  Em- 
pire were  in  the  air,  German  Christians  began  to  con- 
sider how  best  to  meet  their  increasing  responsibili- 


INNER  MISSION  121 

ties.  In  their  studies,  the  more  thoughtful  among 
the  ministerial  leaders  reviewed  the  history  of  the  be- 
nevolent work  of  the  Church.  They  saw  that  it  was 
the  purpose  of  Christ  to  destroy  the  works  of  the 
devil,  first,  by  repairing  the  injury  he  had  wrought 
in  the  human  heart,  and  afterwards  in  society  and 
the  world.  Through  faith,  Jesus  would  free  the 
Bouls  of  men  from  sin  and  death;  through  the  works 
of  kindness,  on  the  part  of  regenerate  men.  He  would 
free  society  from  the  evils  of  sin,  from  poverty, 
wretchedness,  and  ruin.  Hence  it  was  natural  that 
for  a  time  there  should  be  a  communal  life  among 
believers  in  Jerusalem,  that  means  should  be  gathered 
for  their  support  in  all  the  Churches  which  Paul 
had  established  in  the  great  cities  of  the  Roman 
world,  tliat  it  should  become  a  delight  to  those  who 
had  received  such  gifts  as  had  been  imparted  by  the 
brethren  in  Judea,  to  try  and  pay  them  in  the  less 
valuable  yet  more  needed  gifts  of  money  and  person- 
al service.  It  was  equally  natural  that  the  wants  of 
this  Christian  community  should  be  carefully  consid- 
ered and  met  by  persons  in  whom  everyone  had  con- 
fidence. Hence  the  appointment  of  deacons,  whose 
first  duty  was  the  relief  of  need,  but  who  were  not 
prohibited  from  preaching  as  they  found  op]3ortunity. 
The  principle  involved  in  this  benevolence  was  that 
of  i)ersonal  administration,  a  principle  which  has 
been  kept  uppermost  in  all  that  the  Inner  Mission 
has  attempted  to  do. 

Subsequently,  from  the  end  of  the  first  to  the  be- 
ginning of  the  third  century,  or  to  the  time  of  what 
is  sometimes  called  the  Martyr  Church,  help  was  given 
directly  to  families.     There  were  no  benevolent  es- 


132  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  W  GERMANY 

tablisliments,  since  it  would  have  been  folly  to  erect 
them,  as  their  inmates  would  at  once  have  been 
marked  for  persecution  and  death.  Those  who  had 
means  gave  freely  out  of  love,  not  as  if  to  satisfy  a 
claim  which  the  needy  person  might  put  forward  as 
a  right,  but  in  the  hope  of  preventing  families  from 
breaking  up,  temporarily,  or  being  separated.  Dur- 
ing this  period,  deacons,  deaconesses,  widows,  and  a 
few  especially  pious  women  of  approved  wisdom  and 
consecration,  were  active  in  the  distribution  of  this 
benevolence.  The  whole  work  was  under  the  direct 
supervision  of  the  bishop,  or  the  minister  of  the  par- 
ish, v/ho  with  a  few  exceptions  knew  personally  all 
the  members  of  his  flock.  Those  Mdio  were  in  prison 
were  visited  and  encouraged  bravely  and  hopefully  to 
meet  a  martyr's  death.  Those  who  were  condemned 
to  labor  in  the  mines  were  not  forgotten,  nor  were 
their  families  permitted  to  suffer.  As  the  Christian 
communities  increased  in  size,  this  personal  visita- 
tion became  more  difficult,  and  the  necessity  for  cen- 
ters where  the  poor  might  meet,  or  be  brought  to- 
gether and  cared  for  under  a  single  roof,  more  press- 
ing. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  to  the  end  of  the 
sixth  century,  the  wants  of  the  poor  were  generally 
met  in  establishments  called  into  existence  for  this 
very  purpose.  The  personal  element  of  the  adminis- 
tration of  benevolence  became  less  lorominent.  The 
number  of  those  receiving  assistance  was  too  great  to 
admit  of  personal  inquiry  into  every  individual  case. 
The  world  itself  seemed  to  be  declining.  The  major- 
ity of  the  people  were  poor.  Taxes  were  increas- 
ingly high  and  hard  to  pay.    A  large  tract  in  the 


INNER  MISSION  123 

Campagna,  about  A.  D.  400,  was  allowed  to  become  a 
desert  because  its  owners  could  not  meet  the  taxes 
levied  upon  it.  Even  children  were  sold  to  satisfy 
the  tax-gatherer.  Morals  grew  lax,  and  fleshly  sins 
increased.  Those  who  had  wealth,  and  were  willing 
to  aid  their  unfortunate  fellow  Christians,  preferred 
to  give  through  the  Church  authorities,  rather  than 
trouble  themselves  with  its  personal  distribution. 
This  distribution  was  made  through  deacons,  whose 
numbers  in  consequence  rapidly  increased.  It  is  said 
that  in  the  time  of  St.  Chrysostom  there  were  a  hun- 
dred deacons  attached  to  the  Church  of  St.  Sophia  at 
Constantinople.  For  months  St.  Chrysostom  fed 
7,700  persons  daily.  With  the  diminution  of  per- 
sonal service,  the  manifestation  of  individual  interest 
and  the  exercise  of  personal  love  almost  entirely  van- 
ished. It  is  easy  therefore  to  see  how  soon  the  clois- 
ter and  the  hospital  came  to  be  closely  connected 
with  the  care  of  the  poor.  To  the  cloister,  the  man 
who  was  weary  of  the  world  could  retire.  Here  he 
escaped  the  burden  of  taxes.  Hither  came  those  who 
were  hungry.  Here  children  were  educated,  and 
here  were  rooms  for  strangers,  in  which  they  could 
securely  rest  when  on  their  travels.  Hospitals  be- 
came necessary,  at  first,  for  the  inmates  of  the  clois- 
ter, and  afterward  for  others.  Two  hospitals  founded 
during  the  fourth  century,  one  by  Basil  at  Csesarea, 
and  another  at  Edessa  by  Ephraem  Syrus,  became 
famous.  During  this  period  the  conviction  spread 
that  alms  put  away  sin,  that  gifts  to  the  Church 
would  secure  blessedness  in  the  life  to  come.  It  is 
sad  to  think  that  even  benevolence  may  be  made 
a  source  of  corruption,  both  for  giver  and  receiver. 


124  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

At  first  careful  efforts  were  made  to  exercise  charity 
only  toward  the  worthy,  but  after  a  time  its  almoners 
grew  negligent,  and  even  looked  upon  poverty  as  a 
virtue. 

Notwithstanding  this  fact,  we  still  turn  with  ten- 
der interest  to  the  time  when  Cyprian  was  exercising 
large  charity  toward  the  poor  of  his  extensive  parish, 
when  the  golden=mouthed  preacher,  through  his  dea- 
cons and  deaconesses,  and  with  the  assistance  of  the 
rich  and  beautiful  widow,  Olympias,  who  refused  to 
re-marry  even  at  an  Emperor's  request,  sought  to 
alleviate  the  sufferings  which  were  so  pressing  at 
Constantinople.  With  like  interest  we  also  turn  to 
the  era  when  Ambrose  of  Milan,  another  noble  Chris- 
tian hero,  was  using  his  resources  in  the  same  unself- 
ish manner,  and  when  Augustine,  despite  his  love 
for  philosophy  and  theological  controversy,  could  not 
forget  the  poor.  If  less  were  done  by  Jerome  at 
Rome,  and  at  Bethlehem,  it  was  because  he  had  less 
with  which  to  do.  Yet  it  was  his  friend  Fabiola  who 
built  the  first  house  for  the  sick  in  Rome,  or  in  the 
West.  It  was  Paula,  who  lived  near  Jerome  in  the 
city  where  our  Lord  was  born,  who  built  a  house  for 
pilgrims  in  that  city,  and  spent  all  she  had  on  the 
poor.  While  it  cannot  be  said  that  the  benevolence 
of  the  Church  or  the  Empire  was  wisely  managed, 
yet  no  one  who  reviews,  however  superficially,  its 
history,  can  fail  to  perceive  its  greatness,  or  doubt 
the  piety  and  the  Christian  joy  with  which  it  was  so 
often  exercised. 

Benevolence  in  the  Middle  Ages  was  exercised  al- 
most entirely  through  the  convent  the  monastery, 
and  the  hospital.     During  this  period  houses  were 


INNER  MISSION  125 

built  in  which  livings,  or  some  part  of  a  living,  as  the 
bread  or  the  fire  needed  by  the  inmates,  were  pro- 
vided. The  tendency  was  toward  a  multiplication 
of  establishments,  in  which  the  needy  could  be  re- 
ceived without  disturbing  Church  dignitaries  or  men 
of  wealth.  Hospitals  for  lepers,  after  the  Crusades 
were  over,  abounded.  It  is  affirmed  that  there  were 
19,000  of  them  in  Europe.  Such  was  the  tremendous 
penalty  paid  for  invading  the  East,  in  order  to  snatch 
the  sepulchre  from  the  infidel.  Some  of  these  hos- 
pitals were  very  large:  in  others,  the  inmates  were 
few.  Everywhere  beggary  became  a  profession.  The 
beggar  felt  that  in  giving  one  an  opportunity  to  re- 
lieve his  wants  he  was  doing  him  a  favor. 

Some  of  the  emperors — far-seeing  men  like  Charles 
the  Great — anxious  for  the  welfare  of  their  subjects, 
did  all  they  could  to  alleviate  the  ills  of  a  poverty 
which  they  could  discover  no  means  of  preventing. 
The  successors  of  the  wise  Charles  neglected  his 
counsels  and  took  no  pains  to  see  that  only  the  wor- 
thy received  aid,  and  that  industry,  and  thrift  were 
encouraged. 

Much  was  done  for  the  poor  by  individuals.  Fran- 
cis of  Assisi,  though  without  means  of  his  own,  yet 
counseled  and  practiced  the  largest  benevolence. 
Elizabeth,  Countess  of  Thuringia,  both  voluntarily, 
and  under  the  influence  of  her  confessor,  Conrad  of 
Marburg,  filled  her  life  with  deeds  of  charity. 

At  the  time  of  the  Reformation  the  country 
swarmed  with  persons  who  lived  by  begging.  "This 
caused  no  wonder,'-  says  Luther,  "as  the  monks 
make  a  religious  service  out  of  the  work  of  begging." 
The  idea  of  merit  in  this   kind   of  life  was  rudely 


126  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

shattered  through  the  doctrine  of  justification  by 
faith,  which  the  Reformers  preached.  Efi'orts  were 
soon  put  forth  to  diminish  the  evih  Collections  were 
enjoined,  and  persons  appointed,  as  in  the  early 
Church,  to  attend  to  their  distribution,  and  to  see 
that  only  such  as  were  really  in  need,  received  them. 
Luther  himself,  and  most  of  his  associates  and  his 
immediate  successors,  took  great  interest  in  the  con- 
dition of  the  poor.  Luther  gave  away  nearly  every- 
thing that  came  to  him.  Bugenhagen,  pastor  in 
Wittenberg,  was  a  splendid  example  of  a  minister 
who  responded  to  the  personal  needs  of  his  flock. 
John  Hess,  of  Breslau,  and  Catharine  Zell,  of  Strass- 
burg,  were  famous  for  their  self-sacrificing  labors  on 
behalf  of  the  poor.  The  latter,  who  was  a  pastor's 
wife,  discovered  ways  to  feed  almost  a  thousand  per- 
sons in  times  of  persecution,  and  for  weeks  together 
she  had  from  fifty  to  sixty  needy  persons  at  her 
table.  John  Valentine  Andrea,  who  receives  the 
warm  praise  of  Spener  for  his  attempts  to  put  life 
into  the  cold  orthodoxy  of  his  time  (1586-1654),  was 
another  of  the  men  who  spared  not  themselves  for 
the  sake  of  the  brethren. 

In  the  time  of  Pietism  and  Rationalism,  as  has  al- 
ready been  said,  efforts  were  made  to  bring  back  into 
life  the  personal  methods  employed  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament Church.  Nor  was  it  thought  that  the  mere 
satisfying  of  hunger,  or  the  clothing  of  the  naked,  or 
the  i3roviding  the  homeless  with  shelter,  constituted 
true  benevolence.  Pietism  saw — and  this  must  be 
set  down  to  its  credit — through  the  eyes  of  such  men 
as  Francke,  that  the  first  great  need  to  be  met  was  to 
put  an  end  to  ignorance  and  idleness.     Hence  his 


INNER  MISSION  127 

early  and  his  continued  interest  in  the  education  of 
neglected  children,  and  afterward  of  all  children 
whose  advantages  were  not  as  good  as  they  might  be. 
In  Baron  von  Canstein  (1667-1719),  he  had  a  friend 
whose  wealth  was  freely  used  in  promoting  the  work 
of  the  Halle  Orphan  House.  Beata  Sturm  of  Stutt- 
gart (1682-1730),  dedicated  her  time,  her  thought, 
and  her  means  to  the  care  of  the  needy.  No  one  was 
ever  turned  empty  from  her  door. 

Gottfried  Zahn,  and  the  two  brothers,  Woltersdorf, 
the  one  the  founder,  the  others  the  organizers  and 
real  founders  of  the  orx)lian  house  at  Bunzlau 
(1705-1758),  are  also  worthy  of  mention  as  among 
the  noblest  and  most  generous  men  of  their  time. 

John  Augustus  Urlsperger  (1728-180G),  of  Augs- 
burg, anxious  to  combat  the  growing  unbelief  of  his 
time,  sought  to  organize  something  like  the  Society 
for  the  Promoting  of  Christian  Knowledge,  in  Eng- 
land, which  finally  united  with  a  Society  in  Basel, 
which  had  for  its  object  the  furthering  of  pure  doc- 
trine, and  true  godliness.  Out  of  this  Society  after- 
wards sprang  the  Basel  Bible  Society,  the  Mission- 
ary Society,  the  establishment  for  Brothers,  and 
that  for  children  at  Beuggen,  the  Deaf  and  Dumb 
institution  at  Kielien,  the  Pilgrim  Mission  at  Chris- 
chona,  now  chiefly  a  place  where  persons  are  edu- 
cated for  Foreign  Missionary  service.  Through  his 
writings  and  earnest  addresses,  Urlsperger  was  the 
forerunner  of  many,  who  with  pen  and  voice,  have 
done  yeoman  service  in  saving  the  Fatherland  from 
unbelief.  Nor  ought  we  to  omit  mention  of  the  work 
of  John  Tobias  Kiessling  (1743-1824),  a  wealthy 
merchant  of  Nuremberg,  whose  daily  life  was  a  proc- 


128  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

lamation  of  the  Gospel;  of  Hans  Nielen  Hauge 
(1771-1824),  of  Norway,  who  became  a  lay  preacher 
of  great  repute  and  power;  of  John  Frederick  Ober- 
lin  (1740-1826),  who  with  the  help  of  his  faithful  ser- 
vant, Louise  Schepper,  who  cared  for  the  children, 
made  his  parish  at  Steinthal,  Alsace,  a  model  jjarish 
for  the  world;  of  John  Falk,  (1768-1826),  of  Dantzig, 
who  founded  the  first  House  of  Refuge  in  Germany, 
at  Weimar;  or  of  John  Henry  Pestalozzi  (1746-1827), 
the  father  of  the  modern  science  of  teaching,  and 
of  a  method  of  saving  that  which  without  personal 
aid  would  have  been  worse  than  lost. 

The  names  of  some  of  the  persons  who  have  been 
prominent  in  the  Inner  Mission,  with  a  brief  refer- 
ence to  the  branch  of  service  to  which  they  have  de- 
voted themselves,  will  indicate  the  place  which  this 
form  of  benevolence  has  taken  in  modern  German 
Christian  life. 

At  the  head  of  the  list  stands  Christian  Henry 
Zeller  (1779-1860),  of  Wtlrttemberg  and  educated 
for  a  lawyer.  Early  becoming  a  teacher,  he  was, 
while  still  young,  chosen  Inspector,  or  head  of 
the  school  for  poor  children,  and  for  the  training 
of  teachers  for  similar  schools,  at  Beuggen,  near 
Basel.  Here  he  remained  forty  years,  devoting 
himself  with  great  singleness  of  purpose  to  a  work  in 
which  he  achieved  wonderful  success.  At  his  funeral 
Prof.  Auberlen  said  of  him:  "  His  gToatness  consisted 
in  this,  that  he  remained  small."  Even  Pestalozzi 
was  impressed  with  his  tremendous  moral  strength. 
Through  his  writings,  and  with  the  aid  of  his  noble 
Vt'ife,  his  influence  was  far-reaching  and  beneficent. 

Another  Yv^tirttemberger,  Christian  Frederick  Spit- 


INNER  MISSION  129 

tier  (1782-1867),  without  learning  or  extraordinary 
intellectual  gifts,  but  possessed  of  exliaustless  energy, 
and  uncommon  power  to  interest  other  men  in  be- 
nevolent undertakings,  became  prominent  in  the 
founding  of  the  Basel  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  of 
the  institution  at  Beuggen,  just  named,  for  the 
instruction  of  the  children  of  the  poor,  and  the  train- 
ing of  their  teachers,  of  the  Pilgrim  Mission  at  the 
same  place,  of  several  institutions  for  Jews  and 
Greeks,  of  an  institution  for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb,  of 
a  Deaconess'  House  at  Riehen,  as  well  as  of  half  a 
dozen  smaller  institutions  in  other  places.  To  his 
activity  there  was  no  end.  His  life  was  one  of  faith 
and  prayer  with  constant  tokens  of  the  presence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

In  Hans  Ernst,  Baron  von  Kottwitz,  (1757-1843), 
we  have  a  man  of  remarkable  gifts  and  thorough 
consecration,  Ernst  was  born  in  Schlesia;  in  early 
youth  he  was  a  page  at  the  Court  of  Frederick  the 
Great,  and  afterward  became  an  officer  in  the  Army 
and  a  favorite  in  society.  Brought  into  association 
with  the  Moravians,  he  was  converted,  and  led  to  de- 
vote himself  to  the  work  of  diminishing  the  suflPerings 
of  the  poor.  In  1806,  a  year  of  distress,  he  obtained 
possession  of  some  unused  barracks  in  Berlin,  took 
up  his  abode  in  them,  gathered  600  or  more  of  the 
most  needy  about  him,  furnished  them  bread,  day  by 
day,  provided  them  with  work,  and  made  them  feel 
that  in  him  they  had  a  true  friend.  After  the  Gov- 
ernment relieved  him  of  this  responsibility,  he  still 
remained  with  his  poor  people,  unwilling  to  be  sepa- 
rated from  them,  even  for  a  brief  season.  He  ex- 
ercised great  influence  over  such  men  as  Tholuck, 


130  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Otto  von  Gerlach,  Neander,  Stier,  and  Wichern.  A 
characteristic  anecdote  of  him  occurs  in  the  report 
of  a  conversation  with  Fichte  the  philosopher.  Said 
the  latter;  "The  child  prays,  the  man  wills."  "Pro- 
fessor," replied  the  Baron,  "  I  have  600  poor  people 
to  care  for,  and  often  I  do  not  know  whence  I  shall 
obtain  bread  for  them.  Then  I  do  not  know  how  to 
help  myself  in  any  other  way  than  to  pray."  Fichte 
was  silent  a  moment,  then,  with  tears  rolling  down  his 
cheeks,  he  answered,  "  Yes,  dear  Baron,  my  philo- 
sophy does  not  go  so  far  as  that." 

Another  nobleman  of  singular  consecration  was 
Count  Adelbert  von  der  Eecke  Volmarstein.  (1791- 
1878).  Through  experiences  obtained  during  the 
Napoleonic  wars  he  w^as  led  to  found  a  House  of 
Refuge  at  Overdyke,  in  Westphalia.  When  the 
rooms  here  became  too  small  for  the  numbers  waiting 
to  occupy  them,  trusting  in  God  for  the  means  needed 
to  carry  out  his  enterprise,  he  purchased  the  Cloister 
Dtissenthal,  near  Diisseldorf,  with  its  massive  build- 
ings and  its  extensive  lands.  Here  he  and  his  wife, 
the  Countess  Mathilde  von  Pfeil,  who  was  of  like 
spirit,  remained  for  twenty=five  years,  or  until  broken 
in  health,  aiding  not  only  the  poor,  and  saving  mul- 
titudes of  them  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  but  interest- 
ing other  men  of  high  rank  in  service  similar  to  that 
in  which  he  was  engaged.  Retiring  to  his  estate  in 
Crasnitz,  Schlesia,  after  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
seventy,  and  when  the  Institution  at  Dtissenthal  was 
on  its  feet,  he  there  founded,  in  connection  with  a 
house  for  deaconesses,  a  large  institution  for  idiots 
and  epileptics,  and  revived  what  he  called  the  Order 
of  Samaritans.    Not  even  in  old  age  could   he  be 


INNER  MISSION  131 

content  to  rest  from  his  labors.  Through  industrial 
efforts,  limited  to  his  own  lands,  he  was  able  greatly 
to  improve  the  condition  of  working  people  in  Cras- 
nitz. 

Amalie  Sieveking  (1794-1859),  known  as  the  Ham- 
burg Tabitha,  was  one  of  the  noblest  and  most  useful 
women  of  her  day.  She  was  converted  after  the 
death  of  a  brother,  by  the  reading  of  Thomas  a  Kem- 
pis,  the  Bible,  and  the  addresses  of  Francke.  While 
yet  young  she  sought  to  interest  the  daughters  of  the 
welhto^do  in  Hamburg  in  the  welfare  of  the  poor. 
Her  first  thought  was  to  form  a  Protestant  sisterhood, 
but  as  her  appeal  for  volunteers,  in  the  cholera  season 
of  1831,  was  not  responded  to  by  a  single  person,  she 
determined  to  enter  the  hospital  alone.  Here,  first 
as  nurse,  then  as  assistant,  then  as  overseer,  she 
gained  a  place  in  the  confidence  and  affection  of  her 
townsmen  which  she  never  lost.  In  1832  she  organ- 
ized the  Woman's  Union  for  the  care  of  the  poor  and 
sick,  which  still  exists,  and  has  since  served  as  a  model 
of  many  similar  unions.  Near  the  close  of  a  life  of 
self=sacrificing  activity  and  rare  usefulness,  she  re- 
quested that,  as  a  final  proof  of  her  sympathy  with 
the  poor,  and  her  disapproval  of  costly  funerals,  she 
might  be  buried  in  a  cofiin  exactly  like  those  which 
the  city  furnishes  for  the  people  who  are  buried  at 
its  expense. 

A  man  of  far-reaching  influence  during  his  life,  of 
unusual  spiritual  gifts,  and  of  great  organizing  ability 
and  unwearied  activity,  was  John  Evangelist  Gossner, 
of  Berlin  (1773-1862).  He  was  born  in  Schwabia,  of 
Roman  Catholic  parents,  and  was  educated  in  Roman 
Catholic  institutions.    Always  earnestly  evangelical, 


132  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

he  remained  a  priest  in  the  Church  of  his  fathers  for 
several  years.  His  preaching,  though  popular  with 
his  congregations,  gave  offense  to  the  authorities,  so 
that  finally,  in  order  to  be  true  to  his  convictions,  he 
was  compelled  to  become  a  Protestant.  His  long 
pastorate  in  Berlin  is  too  well  known  to  need  descrip- 
tion. Crowds  hung  upon  his  ministry  in  the  Beth- 
lehem Church.  While  a  pastor  he  founded  the 
Elizabeth  Hosj)ital,  and  called  into  existence  a 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  which  has  proved  a  great 
blessing  to  the  world.  United  with  the  Hospital  was 
a  Deaconesses,  Home  in  which  young  women  were 
especially  trained  for  the  care  of  the  sick,  and  for 
such  other  Christian  work  as  might  be  congenial  to 
them.  More  than  thirty  years  have  passed  since  this 
father-in^God,  old  and  full  of  good  works,  fell  asleep, 
mourned  not  in  Berlin  alone,  but  throughout  Ger- 
many and  the  Christian  world. 

The  interest,  both  in  Home  and  Foreign  Missions, 
manifest  in  Gossner,  was  exhibited  also  by  Christian 
Gottlob  Barth  (1799-1862).  Born  in  Stuttgart, 
trained  in  a  Pietistic  family,  with  a  passion  for  read- 
ing, especially  sensitive  to  sxoiritual  and  intellectual 
influences,  he  was  early  drawn  into  the  field  of  au- 
thorship, where  even  to  the  last  he  continued  active. 
When  ten  years  old  he  wrote  a  Bible  history,  which 
he  adorned  with  pictures  and  presented  to  his  school 
companions.  Thwarted  in  his  desire  to  become  a 
missionary  by  his  mother's  opposition,  after  exten- 
sive travels  throughout  Germany  and  Holland,  he 
settled  in  the  parish  of  Mottlingen,  near  Calv,  where 
he  entered  with  great  zeal  into  the  work  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Society,  and  the  work  of  the  House  of  Re- 


INNER  MISSION  183 

f uge  at  Stammheim.  Neither  did  he  fail  to  look  after 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  his  parishioners  nor  neglect 
his  brethren  in  the  ministry.  In  letters,  lectures, 
sermons,  and  by  means  of  a  missionary  magazine,  he 
kept  alive  the  interest  of  the  people  in  the  welfare  of 
the  heathen  abroad.  Becoming  acquainted  with  the 
work  of  the  London  Tract  Society  on  one  of  his  jour- 
neys, he  was  not  content  till  he  had  organized  a  sim- 
ilar publishing  society  for  Germany.  The  first  work 
sent  out  by  this  Society  was  a  Biblical  History,  which 
has  been  translated  into  many  languages,  and  which 
in  1877  had  reached  its  239th  edition.  To  this  were 
added  Church  histories,  a  monthly  magazine  for 
young  people,  various  kinds  of  Biblical  hand-books, 
geographies,  books  of  nature,  antiquities,  and  a  small 
Biblical  commentary.  In  the  midst  of  these  labors, 
preaching  was  a  refreshment.  Barth  never  married. 
Through  his  love  of  work,  and  his  interest  in  the 
spiritual  life  of  Germany,  as  well  as  in  that  of  the 
world,  he  became  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
useful  men  of  his  century. 

Of  John  Henry  Wichern  (1808-1881),  founder  of 
the  Rough  House  and  restorer  of  the  order  and  work 
of  deacons,  it  would  be  difficult  to  speak  too  highly. 
In  consequence  of  losses  inflicted  by  the  wars  and  of 
the  early  death  of  his  father  he  was  compelled,  even 
as  a  boy,  to  contribute  by  private  teaching  to  the 
support  of  the  family.  In  early  youth  he  fought 
his  way  through  the  Rationalism  of  the  time  into  the 
clear  light  of  evangelical  truth.  By  the  aid  of  friends 
he  was  enabled  to  attend  the  University  of  Gottin- 
gen,  where  Prof .  Lticke  proved  a  real  friend  to  him. 
Later,  he  studied  in  the  University  of  Berlin,  where 


184  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

he  was  brought  into  contact  with  Neander,  and 
through  the  mediation  of  Baron  Kottwitz,  into  friend- 
ship with  him.  He  was  also  greatly  indebted  to 
Schleiermacher.  At  the  close  of  his  studies  he  be- 
came a  candidate  for  a  parish  in  Hamburg.  During 
this  period  of  candidacy  traces  of  his  later  activity 
appear.  He  formed  plans  for  a  school  for  the  educa- 
tion of  poor  children,  and  wrote  and  delivered  a  lec- 
ture on  the  demoralization  of  youth,  with  reference 
in  it  to  the  work  of  such  persons  as  Amalie  Sieve- 
king,  Baron  Kottwitz,  and  Dr.  Julius.  He  became 
Superintendent  of  Pastor  Rautenburg's  Sunday^^ 
school,  in  Hamburg,  the  first  in  Germany,  and  in 
this  position  found  a  wide  field  for  his  activity  in 
spiritual  things.  Here  he  learned  thoroughly  the 
condition  and  neerls  of  the  poor,  and  through  his  vis- 
itation from  house  to  house  saw  how  to  help  them. 
It  was  while  pursuing  his  work  in  the  Sunday-school 
that  he  became  acquainted  with  Amanda  Bohme,  his 
future  wife,  a  woman  of  extraordinary  ability.  The 
beginning  of  his  work,  in  a  small  house  in  Horm, 
near  the  city,  put  at  his  disposal  by  a  friend,  was  suf- 
ficiently unpretending.  Living  with  his  mother,  at 
first,  three,  then  twelve,  boys  were  received  into  his 
home.  Gradually  other  houses  were  added,  each 
forming  a  home  for  the  children  who  occupied  them. 
Wichern  lived  with  the  children,  taught  them,  sang 
with  them.  Needing  aid,  the  idea  of  re-establishing 
the  diaconate,  or  as  it  is  generally  called,  the  broth- 
erhood, occurred  to  him.  From  this  there  has  result- 
ed an  amount  of  good  which  can  be  compared  only 
with  that  wrought  through  the  revival  of  the  order  of 
deaconesses  by  Fliedner.     Out  of  the  perception  of 


INNER  MISSION  135 

the  needs  about  him,  arising  in  part  from  the  utter 
indifference  of  the  people  among  whom  he  lived,   he 
came  to  the  conviction  that   a   mission   to   nominal 
members  of  the  Church  at  home  was  an  indispensable 
as  a  mission  to  the  heathen.     Hence  the  name  which 
he  gave  his  work.  Inner  Mission  (Die  innere  Mis- 
sion).    With  him  the  work  assumed  a  triple  form, 
the   education   of   children,  the  training   of  men  to 
teach   them,   and   that   peculiar    service   which   fre- 
quently is  needed  in  order   to  save  the  unbelieving 
and  the  indifferent.     From  this  time,  through  visits 
made  to  the  Kough  House,  where  the  roughest  boys 
were  received  and  trained  into  useful  men,  through 
journeys,  by  conferences,  by  lectures,  and  the  publi- 
cation of  "Flying   Leaves"    (die  fliegende  Blatter), 
Wichern  created  an  interest  in  his  work  which  still 
continues.     The  great  day  for  him  and  for  his  mis- 
sion was  the  Church  day  at  Wittenberg,  Oct.    1848. 
Rhiem,  his  assistant,  became  the  head  of  the  Rough 
House,  and  thus  enabled  Wichern  to  yield  to  the  wish 
of  the  King  and  become  one  of  the  authorities  of  the 
Church.    This  required  him  to  reside  for  a  portion  of 
each  year  at  Berlin.     Thus  his  influence  was  widened 
and  a  larger  circle  of  friends  for  his  school  secured. 
In  order  that  the  people  of  the  capital  might  see 
what  had  been  done  in  Hamburg,  the  Johannesstift 
in  Berlin  was  called  into  existence,  where  for  several 
years  Dr.  Stoecker,  the  head  and  front  of  the  Berlin 
City  Mission,  has  j)reached  nearly  every  Sunday  with 
great  power,  and  whence  tracts  and  sermons  are  sent 
out  over  the  country  by  thousands.     But  Wichern's 
labors  in  the  capital  at  the  command  of  the   King 
were  too  severe  for  his  strength,  and  though  after  his 


136  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

resignation  of  the  high  oflBce  which  his  Sovereign  had 
given  him  he  lived  a  few  months,  and  took  up  his  work 
at  Horm  with  something  of  his  old  energy,  the  end 
had  come.  He  rested  in  peace  in  1881,  having  exem- 
plified his  chosen  motto  throughout  his  whole  life, 
"This  is  the  victory  that  overcometh  the  world,  even 
your  faith," 

The  work  of  Theodor  Fliedner  (1800-1864),  at 
Kaiserswerth,  and  in  many  other  places,  which  natur- 
ally follows  that  of  Wichern,  will  be  described  in  the 
chapter  devoted  to  the  deaconess  movement. 

Through  William  Lohe  (1808-1872),  more  than 
any  other  man,  has  the  interest  of  the  National 
Church  been  drawn  to  the  kind  of  activity  exhibited 
by  persons  such  as  those  already  named.  Of  good 
family,  enjoying  the  instruction  and  friendship  of 
Rector  Roth  in  the  Gymnasium  of  Nuremberg,  and 
of  Professor  Kraft  at  Erlangen,  then  in  a  half  year  at 
Berlin  meeting  such  men  as  Schleiermacher,  and  in 
various  places  making  his  extraordinary  gifts  as  a 
preacher  evident,  so  radical  and  outspoken  were  his 
convictions  of  truth  that  the  authorities  hesitated  to 
give  him  a  parish  equal  to  his  abilities.  Men  like 
Professor  Hofling  in  Erlangen,  declared  that  they 
had  never  heard  such  preaching  as  his.  In  1837,  he 
settled  in  the  little  village  of  Neuendettelsau.  As 
preacher,  watcher  of  souls,  catechiser  and  instructor 
of  youth  in  this  parish,  he  did  a  marvellous  work. 
But  changes  wrought  in  a  single  parish  were  only  a 
part  of  what  he  accomplished  for  his  generation.  He 
sought  to  serve  the  whole  Bavarian  Church,  and  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his  labors  in  her  behalf  re- 
v>'arded  in  a  great  increase  of  her  spiritual  power. 


INNER  MISSION  137 

Then  he  turned  his  attention  toward  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Deaconess'  House,  and  of  a  Mission  House, 
or  Theological  Seminary,  as  we  would  say,  in  which 
ministers  are  trained  for  the  American  field.  It  was 
in  order  to  obtain  the  assistance  he  required  for  these 
objects,  that  he  organized  the  society  for  "  Inner 
Mission  in  the  sense  of  the  Lutheran  Church." 
This  society  began  its  work  in  1840,  though  it  was 
not  formally  recognized  till  ten  years  later.  It  had 
several  branches  or  divisions,  one  of  which  provided 
for  the  education  of  young  men  who  should  carry  the 
Gospel  to  their  brethren  in  America,  and  whose  work 
and  views  are  best  represented  by  the  Iowa  Synod, 
while  another  division  formed  itself  into  a  sort  of 
Tract  society  for  the  circulation  of  Christian  litera- 
ture. 

Around  the  Deaconess'  House  there  were  soon 
grouped  an  Idiot  Asylum,  a  House  of  Refuge,  a 
Magdalenium,  and  an  Hospital.  A  school,  first  for 
poor  children,  then  a  boarding-school  of  a  high 
order,  for  young  ladies,  also  sprang  into  existence. 
Special  care  was  taken  in  the  training  of  the  deacon- 
esses, whose  work  in  some  respects  differs  consider- 
ably from  those  who  go  forth  from  Kaiserswerth. 

A  very  remarkakle  man,  a  Wiirttemberger,  the  son 
of  a  minister,  was  Sixtus  Charles  Kapff  (1805- 
1879).  It  was  said  of  him  that  the  grace  of  baptism 
never  left  him.  Having  enjoyed  the  education  which 
Wiirttemberg  afforded,  he  went  through  the  lower 
seminary  on  the  Tubingen  foundation,  and  immedi- 
ately became  pastor  of  a  church  at  Kornthal,  which 
had  separated  from  the  National  Church.  He  had 
little  difficulty  in  persuading  his  people  to  return  to 


138  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

the  Church  which  they  had  left,  and  through  his  own 
spiritual  experiences  as  a  Pietist  he  became,  both  as 
a  minister  and  in  political  life,  of  great  service  to  the 
poor.  In  Stuttgart,  as  p)astor  of  an  immense  parish, 
and  in  positions  of  the  highest  importance — at  once 
a  member  of  various  benevolent  societies,  a  man  of 
ready  speech,  willing  to  serve  the  cause  which  needed 
him  most,  one  of  Wichern's  trusted  helpers,— Kapff 
was  at  his  death  one  of  the  most  useful  and  pox)ular 
men  in  Southern  Germany. 

Gustavus  Werner  (1809-1887),  who  settled  in  the 
village  of  Waldorf,  in  Wiirttemberg,  was  disting- 
uished for  his  interest  in  the  education  of  little 
children,  in  industrial  schools,  and  in  houses  of 
refuge.  Inclining  toward  Swedenborgianism,  and 
strongly  opposed  to  the  Wiirttemberg  Pietism,  he 
naturally  disagreed  with  the  authorities  of  the 
Church  and  finally  withdrew  from  it.  This  gave  him 
time  to  devote  himself  entirely  to  the  House  of 
Refuge,  which  he  had  opened  at  Reutlingen.  Here 
one  kind  of  establishment  after  another  came  into 
existence,  such  as  schools  for  teaching  agriculture, 
training  in  the  trades,  and  various  other  forms  of  in- 
dustry, till  it  would  seem  as  if  he  had  done  all  that 
was  possible  for  one  man  to  do  to  alleviate  misery, 
make  his  fellowmen  helpful  to  themselves,  and  attract 
them  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  In  order  to  meet 
his  financial  needs,  he  formed  a  stock  company, 
through  which,  and  also  by  the  aid  of  friends,  he  was 
able  to  carry  out  his  plans  successfully.  Isolated 
from  Church  relations,  Werner  remained  during  his 
life,  observes  Schaeffer,  a  hero  in  patience  as  in  work. 

From  these  references,  brief  as  they  are,  to  some  of 


mNER  MISSION  139 

the  persons  m'Iio  have  been  conspicuous  in  the  work 
of  the  Inner  Mission,  it  will  be  seen  that  its  sphere 
is  far  wider  than  its  name  would  suggest.  It  not 
only  includes  works  of  mercy  and  piety,  as  ordinarily 
understood,  but  that  large  class  of  humanitarian 
efforts  embraced  under  the  words  education,  training 
for  special  positions  in  life,  deliverance  from  tempta- 
tion, rescue  of  fallen  women,  care  for  the  sick,  work 
among  neglected  classes  of  men,  such  as  cab  drivers, 
street  car  conductors,  railway  men,  shopkeepers, 
young  people  from  the  country — in  fact  every  possible 
form  of  service  by  which  man  can  be  benefited  in 
this  world  or  prepared  for  the  next.  In  the  following 
chapters  an  attempt  is  made  to  set  forth  some  of  the 
methods  which  spiritually-minded  pastors  and  equal- 
ly earnest  laymen  have  employed  to  save  the  material 
for  which  they  feel  that  God  has  made  them  respon- 
sible. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PREVENTIVE  METHODS  EMPLOYED  BY  THE 
INNER  MISSION. 

1.  Care  of  little  children. 

Long  before  the  people  were  wholly  aroused  to  the 
necessity  of  protecting  little  children  against  the  bad 
influences  to  which  they  are  exposed  by  the  neglect 
of  their  parents,  efPorts  had  been  put  forth,  here  and 
there,  to  counteract  these  influences,  and  to  impress 
on  the  minds  of  the  little  ones  a  sense  of  their  obli- 
gation to  God  and  society.  As  early  as  1802,  the 
Princess  Pauline  received  children  into  her  care  at 
Detmold,  and  watched  over  them  while  their  mothers 
or  rightful  guardians  were  at  work  in  the  factories  or 
in  the  fields.  In  the  country  it  had  long  been  neces- 
sary for  the  mother  and  the  elder  children  to  go  into 
the  fields  at  harvest  time,  and  at  other  times  during 
the  year  to  engage  in  some  kind  of  employment  one 
or  more  days  in  the  week  in  order  to  obtain  sufficient 
food  for  the  family.  The  practice  had  been  to  leave 
the  little  ones  with  some  kind-hearted  neighbor,  or 
with  a  girl  not  old  enough  to  work  in  the  fields,  but 
capable  of  caring  for  children.  As  a  matter  of 
course,  the  children  were  more  or  less  neglected 
Often  they  were  brought  under  positively  bad  influ- 
ences. They  were,  moreover,  frequently  exposed  to 
contagious  disease,  and  through  lack  of  proper  food 

140 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  141 

at  the  proper  time,  sometimes  became  ill  and  lost 
their  lives. 

In  the  city  where  the  conditions  of  life  are  harder 
to  meet  than  in  the  country,  and  where  neighbors  are 
less  accommodating,  it  has  been  found  necessary  to 
entrust  the  little  ones  to  the  care  of  women  who  call 
themselves  "  waiters,"  and  who  for  rather  large  pay 
render  inconsiderable  service. 

As  early  as  1844,  a  creche,  or  public  nursery,  was 
opened  in  Paris  for  the  care  of  the  infant  children  of 
hard= working  mothers.  In  seven  years  there  were 
four  hundred  of  these  creches  in  France.  Catholic 
Germany  speedily  imitated  the  example  which 
France  had  set,  and  last  of  all  came  Protestant  Ger- 
many. Vienna  was  the  first  place  in  which  German^ 
speaking  people  employed  this  method  of  caring  for 
the  children  of  needy  parents.  Here  children  are 
received  from  the  age  of  four  weeks  till  well  into 
their  third  year.  They  are  received  on  the  working 
days  of  every  week,  and  are  cared  for  during  the  en- 
tire working  hours  of  these  days.  For  this  service  a 
slight  charge  is  made.  The  children  received  must 
have  been  born  in  wedlock,  be  in  good  health,  and 
have  been  exposed  to  no  contagious  disease.  For 
their  care  rooms  are  needed  for  attendants,  a  large 
room  for  the  babes,  and  a  quiet  place  where  they 
can  sleep.  Means  must  also  be  provided  for  feeding 
them  at  regular  intervals.  The  babes  sleep  in  little 
beds,  for  no  cradles  are  allowed.  The  toys  with 
which  they  play  are  simple  and  harmless.  The  cloth- 
ing which  they  wear  when  they  are  brought  from 
home  in  the  morning  is  removed,  and  is  exjposed  to 
the  air  and  cleaned,  if  need  be,  while  clothing,  pro- 


142  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

vided  by  the  creche  itself,  is  put  on  in  its  place.  On 
entering  the  creche  in  the  morning,  the  little  one  is 
carefully  washed.  It  is  of  the  highest  importance 
that  the  matron  or  person  in  charge  of  the  establish- 
ment should  be  well  fitted  for  her  responsible  place, 
that  she  have  a  love  for  children,  be  acquainted  with 
their  needs,  and  thus  be  able  wisely  to  select  her 
helpers.  Often  the  matron  is  a  deaconess,  who  has 
been  carefully  trained  for  this  kind  of  service.  As 
they  are  able  to  receive  instruction  the  little  ones 
are  taught  good  habits,  obedience,  pleasant  plays, 
and  are  shown  how  to  walk,  run,  and  speak.  If  the 
local  Church  is  interested  in  the  creche  or  Krippe,  as 
it  nearly  always  is,  the  words  of  a  simple  prayer  are 
also  taught.  There  are,  besides  this,  singing  and 
cheerful  story  telling.  At  the  present  time  there  are 
large  numbers  of  these  Krippen  in  existence  in  Ger- 
many, and  the  number  is  increasing  with  the  in- 
creasing need.  As  the  name  comes  from  "  crib" — 
the  manger  at  Bethlehem — so  the  atmosphere  of  the 
establishment  must  be  that  of  love.  It  is  deemed 
best,  if  possible,  to  have  the  Krippe  belong  to  a  sys- 
tem of  schools,  or  to  a  Deaconess'  House  or  an  Hospi- 
tal, in  order  that  it  may  not  depend  for  its  support 
on  what  it  can  raise  itself. 

This  support  is  usually  secured  through  some  so- 
ciety which  has  the  confidence  of  the  community,  to 
which  contributions  are  regularly  made.  The  Ger- 
mans do  not  look  with  favor  on  Foundling  Homes. 
They  think  they  encourage  the  sins  which  render 
them  necessary,  Still  they  are  by  no  means  un- 
known. 

2.  Schools  for  little  children. 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  143 

For  children  a  little  below  three  years  of  age,  and 
up  to  six,  the  Inner  Mission  has  called  into  existence 
a  school  known  as  the  "  Warteschule,"  or  infant 
school.  For  some  reason  Froebel's  system  of  Kin- 
dergartens has  not  been  very  popular  in  Germany; 
perhaps  because  it  puts  all  children  on  a  level,  takes 
no  account  of  the  distinctions  of  class,  teaches  all 
children  in  the  same  way,  and  makes  them  work  at 
their  studies  when  they  ought  to  be  at  play.  These, 
at  all  events,  are  some  of  the  objections  urged  against 
the  system  which  Froebel  and  his  friends  advocated. 

To  this  infant  school  children  of  legally  married 
parents  can  be  brought,  subject  to  the  usual  regula- 
tions as  to  health  and  exposure  to  contagious  disease. 
The  theory  is  that  children  of  this  age  should  be 
with  the  mother  as  much  as  possible.  The  aim, 
therefore,  is  to  care  for  them  only  on  such  days  as 
the  mother  is  compelled  to  leave  home  in  order  to 
earn  something  for  the  support  of  the  family.  If,  as 
in  the  case  of  children  in  the  Krippe,  the  needs  of 
the  country  are  less  pressing  than  those  of  the  city, 
they  are  by  no  means  small  even  in  the  country. 
Oberlin,  at  Steinthal,  Alsace,  was  one  of  the  first  pas- 
tors to  perceive  the  need,  and  take  measures  to  meet 
it.  In  this  he  was  aided  by  his  servant,  the  never-to? 
be=forgotten  Louise  Schepper,  whose  love  for  little 
ones  and  inborn  skill  in  caring  for  them  rendered 
her  work  a  model  for  others  to  follow.  In  1809,  Prof. 
Wadzeck  founded  a  similar  school  in  Berlin.  Later 
on  Fliedner,  seeing  the  need  of  such  a  school,  opened 
one  in  connection  with  his  work  at  Kaiserswerth. 
Then  came  a  school  in  which  teachers  could  be 
trained  for  these  schools,  and  subsequently  one  for 


144  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

girls  of  the  better  classes,  till,  finally,  provision  was 
made  for  the  education  of  children  of  all  ranks  and 
conditions. 

Schools  of  these  various  kinds  abound  in  Germany. 
They  are  attached  to  nearly  every  Deaconess'  Home. 
In  different  sections  of  the  country  they  pass  under 
different  names,  but  have  the  same  general  character 
and  aim.  A  large  room,  on  the  ground  floor  where 
possible,  a  sufficient  number  of  low  desks,  a  few 
tables,  a  cupboard  in  which  the  equipment  of  the 
school  may  be  stored,  a  garden  or  its  equivalent  for  a 
playground,  a  room  with  a  few  beds,  where  the  little 
ones  when  tired  out  may  rest  and  sleep,  are  the 
machinery  required  for  the  starting  of  such  a  school. 
Obviously,  the  woman  in  charge  must  possess  the  pe- 
culiar gifts  requisite  for  one  in  her  place,  and  when 
the  school  numbers  more  than  forty,  she  must  have 
an  assistant.  The  children  are  taught  good  behavior 
and  obedience,  and  are  encouraged  in  habits  of  ob- 
servation. They  are  also  trained  in  storytelling,  that 
is,  in  the  power  to  relate  a  simple  fact  or  incident, 
and  are  encouraged  to  spend  a  good  deal  of  their 
time  in  play.  Carefully  washed  as  they  enter  the 
school,  they  are  taught  how  to  wash  themselves  dur- 
ing the  day,  although  every  attempt  at  anything  like 
formal  instruction  is  avoided.  Such  food  as  is 
needed  is  provided  by  the  school  itself.  The  charge 
made  for  the  care  of  the  child  is  so  small  as  to  be  a 
burden  to  no  one.  The  difficulties  met  with  in  a 
school  like  this  are  irregularity  in  attendance,  and 
the  danger  that  even  here,  rules  take  the  place  of  that 
love  by  which  such  little  ones  ought  to  be  governed. 
Here,  too,  efforts  are  made  to  impress  the  minds  of 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  146 

the  children  with  a  sense  of  their  duty  to  God,  and 
their  dependence  upon  Him  for  everything  they  re- 
ceive. A  striking  difference  between  these  schools 
and  those  which  the  State  has  nov/  begun  to  support, 
is  in  their  religious  atmosphere.  No  child  is  kept  in 
them  beyond  his  sixth  year.  Through  the  children, 
parents  are  often  reached,  and  as  the  result  of 
teachers'  visits,  many  of  the  homes  of  the  poor  have 
greatly  improved  both  in  appearance  and  comfort. 

The  theory  upon  which  the  Inner  Mission  has  pro- 
ceeded in  originating  and  maintaining  these  schools 
is  that  of  prevention.  If  the  child  can  be  kept  from 
evil  during  his  formative  years,  if  he  can  receive  a 
positive  impulse  toward  good  from  those  who  are 
qualified  to  teach  him,  if  he  can  be  brought  into  con- 
tact with  persons  of  Christian  character,  of  good 
manners  and  correct  speech,  it  is  thought  that  crimi- 
nal statistics  will  be  diminished  and  excellent  material 
thereby  saved  to  the  State.  The  results  have  more 
than  met  anticipations.  The  v/ork  has  been  con- 
ducted from  the  first  in  a  religious  spirit,  as  a  Chris- 
tian duty,  and  as  such  is  supported  almost  entirely 
by  gifts  from  Christian  people. 

3.     The  Sunday=school. 

This  is  now  described  as  the  Children's  Church  ser- 
vice, and  it  is  a  good  deal  more  common  than  is  sup- 
posed. It  has  been  generally  recognized  that  the 
regular  service  on  Lord's  Day  morning  is  unsuited  to 
children  of  ten  years  of  age  and  under,  and  that,  if 
they  are  to  be  benefited  at  all  by  Sunday  services, 
special  effort  must  be  made  to  interest  them. 

Where  pastors  have  given  careful  and  faithful  cat- 
echetical instruction  the  need  of  Sunday-schools  has 


146  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

been  less  apparent.  In  the  large  parishes  which 
many  pastors  have  to  look  after,  not  infrequently  the 
children  have  been  neglected.  In  1825,  a  Sunday- 
school  was  founded  in  St.  George,  a  suburb  of  Ham- 
burg, by  J.  G.  Oncken,  a  Baptist  bookseller,  aided  by 
the  Lutheran  Pastor  Rautenberg.  Here  Wichern 
found  one  of  his  first  fields  of  usefulness.  Forty 
years  later,  or,  to  be  precise,  in  1865,  came  the  im- 
pulse to  Sunday-school  work  through  Mr.  Woodruff 
of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  and  the  interest  taken  in  it  by 
Pastor  Tiesmeyer  of  Bremen.  Through  his  inter- 
preter, Brochelmann,  Mr.  Woodruff  opened  a  school 
at  Heidelberg.  The  opposition  to  these  schools  came 
chiefly  from  pastors  and  teachers.  It  seemed  like  a 
reflection  on  the  labors  of  pastors  to  have  a  second 
service  on  the  same  day,  and  to  hold  it  in  the  very 
place  where  they  had  preached  a  sermon.  Gradually 
the  oj)position  wore  away.  Usually  a  school  once  or- 
ganized demonstrated  its  value,  and  attracted  to  its 
service,  not  the  pastor  only,  but  laymen  capable  of 
interesting  and  instructing  children.  So  far,  efforts 
have  not  been  made  to  retain  the  young  in  Sunday- 
school  beyond  confirmation.  It  is  supposed  that 
those  who  have  become  confirmed  are  old  enough  to 
profit  by  the  regular  service  of  the  Church.  Young 
men,  however,  are  encouraged  to  form  Bible  classes 
for  independent  and  systematic  study.  The  number 
of  these  schools  is  increasing,  and  it  has  been  found 
in  Germany,  as  elsewhere,  that  in  them  women  often 
make  the  best  teachers.  Many  women  on  Sunday 
afternoons  teach  classes  of  little  children  at  their  own 
homes. 

4.    A  fourth  way  in  which  the  Inner  Mission  strives 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  147 

to  save  the  youth  of  the  land  is  through  Oi'XDhau 
Houses.  Of  these  there  were  not  many  half  a  cen- 
tury ago.  What  the  State  has  done  since  in  i^rovid- 
ing  them,  is  very  largely  due  to  the  influence  of  those 
who  have  worked  through  the  Inner  Mission.  Effec- 
tive work  in  them  began  with  Francke,  in  his  Orphan 
House,  as  early  as  1695.  Most  are  familiar  Vv'ith  his 
words,  when  he  found  one  morning  four  German  dol- 
lars and  a  few  pence  in  the  box  he  had  set  out  for 
contributions  toward  the  education  of  the  poor:  "That 
is  a  magnificent  capital.  With  that  something  worth 
while  must  be  done:  I  shall  begin  a  school  for  the 
poor."  "That "says  his  rejDorter,  (Schaeffer,  p.  73) 
"  was  the  beginning  of  the  Orphan  House  which  still 
flourishes.  With  its  3,300  pupils,  (nearly  100,000 
from  the  first)  and  its  470  dependents,  it  is  the  largest 
establishment  of  the  kind  in  Germany,  if  not  in  the 
world."  The  spirit  and  purpose  of  the  school  and  of 
all  that  is  done  in  connection  with  it,  are  indicated  in 
these  words:  "An  ounce  of  living  faith  is  v'ortli  more 
than  a  hundred=weight  of  mere  historical  knowledge, 
and  a  little  drop  of  true  love,  than  a  sea  of  knowledge  of 
all  secrets."  "  The  way  to  happiness  through  the  Gos- 
X^el  is  a  way  of  love,  of  peace,  and  a  quiet  spirit." 
When  children  learn  this  way,  the  best  possible  has 
been  done  for  them.  Imitating  this  work  of  Francke, 
Zahn  and  the  Wortlinsdorf  brothers  in  1712  wrought 
with  great  success  in  an  Orphan  House  at  Bunzlauer, 
Schlesia.  A  still  earlier  attemj)t  even  than  that  of 
Francke  to  care  for  orphans  was  made  in  Basel,  in 
1667,  though  little  came  of  it. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  18th  century,  people  regard- 
ed Orphan  Houses  with  distrust.      It  was  thought 


148  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

better,  that  as  far  as  possible,  orphan  children  should 
be  provided  for  in  private  families.  But  experience 
has  shown  it  to  be  impracticable  to  secure  families  in 
such  numbers  as  are  needed,  or  of  the  character  that 
are  needed.  Parents  fear  the  injury  likely  to  be  done 
to  their  own  children  through  the  introduction  of 
those  who  have  been  neglected.  Many  who  are  will- 
ing to  receive  the  children  offered,  even  for  the  small 
pay  given,  prove  on  investigation  to  be  utterly  unfit 
to  have  their  care.  Since  the  time  of  Pestalozzi, 
orphan  training  in  orphan  asylums  has  been  looked 
upon  v.'ith  increasing  favor.  It  is  now  felt  that  a  good 
asylum  is  preferable  to  a  family  where  the  influences 
are  often  hurtful.  Children  are  kept  in  the  Asylum, 
(often  those  who  have  one  parent  living  are  received) 
till  they  are  ten  years  old,  and  are  ready  for  confirma- 
tion. Girls  are  retained  somewhat  longer,  or  till  they 
are  old  enough  to  resist  the  temptations  to  which  their 
sex  is  i^eculiarly  exposed.  The  pupils  are  taught  the 
ordinary  branches  which  pupils  of  the  same  age  are 
taught  in  the  Public  Schools,  and  in  addition  are 
taught  manual  work.  In  the  better  Asylums,  the 
methods  of  instruction  given  in  private  families  and 
in  the  public  institutions  are  combined. 

5.     The  education  and  preservation  of  youth. 

Here,  first  of  all,  are  the  schools  where  servant  girls 
work  with  their  hands,  and  thus,  by  actual  practice, 
learn  how  to  work.  They  are  taught  how  to  sew,  to 
patch,  to  knit,  and  to  darn.  In  sx^ite  of  the  fact  that 
these  matters  are  now  taught  in  the  Public  Schools, 
there  is  a  great  lack  of  skill  in  them,  on  the  part 
not  only  of  servant  girls  but  even  of  v/omen,  who  as 
wives  and  mothers  have  homes  of  their  own.     A  few 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  U9 

hours'  instruction  in  the  theory  of  sowing  or  knitting 
is  not  enough.  There  must  be  i^ractic(\  This  is 
necessary  to  make  a  happy  home,  to  make  the 
income  go  further,  to  give  respectability  to  one's  ap- 
pearance. This  practical  knowledge  is  often  of  value 
as  a  means  of  self = support  for  those  who  are  depend- 
ent on  the  work  of  their  own  hands  for  a  livelihood. 
Schools  where  instruction  of  this  kind  could  be  im- 
parted were  opened  almost  simultaneously  in  different 
sections  of  Germany.  Among  those  who  contributed 
most  to  their  success  in  North  Germany,  was  Rosalie 
Schalenfeld,  who  began  her  work  in  1861.  A  school 
teacher  by  the  name  of  Buhl,  in  the  same  year  intro- 
duced industrial  teaching  into  the  schools  of  Wiirt- 
temberg.  In  1865  instruction  of  this  sort  was  given 
in  Berlin,  and  soon  after  the  Victoria  Bazaar  became 
a  place  where  articles  made  by  women  in  need  could 
be  sold  for  their  benefit.  Attendants  of  these  schools 
are  vromen  v»'ho  can  spare  a  fev/  hours  in  the  week 
from  home  duties  and  whose  domestic  education  has 
been  neglected,  girls  still  in  school,  and  such  other 
persons  as  feel  sure  they  will  be  profited  by  instruc- 
tion of  this  sort.  A  deaconess  is  very  often  at  the 
head  of  the  school.  Sometimes  a  city  missionary, 
perceiving  the  need  which  exists,  interests  a  few 
women  to  group  themselves  together  and  provide  a 
school  of  the  kind  described.  Various  ties  bind  the 
pupils  together.  In  all  the  schools,  efforts  are  put 
forth  to  strengthen  faith  and  make  the  personal 
Christian  life  more  real  and  earnest.  It  takes  little 
beside  a  willing  mind,  and  the  requisite  skill  in 
teaching,  to  found  such  a  school  and  render  it  suc- 
cessful.    The  schools  are  often  combined  with  house- 


150  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

keeping  and  cooking  schools,  which  are  now  becom- 
ing numerous  in  Germany.  In  addition  to  the 
schools  just  named,  are  schools  for  the  training  of 
servant  girls.  These  were  established  in  order  not 
only  that  those  attending  them  might  be  better  fitted 
to  discharge  the  duties  which  belong  to  their  profes- 
sion, but  that  their  moral  character  might  be  so 
strengthened  as  to  protect  them  against  the  tempta- 
tions which  prove  the  ruin  of  so  many  of  their 
number.  In  Germany,  as  in  America,  there  has 
been,  and  still  is,  complaint  about  servant  girls. 
Sometimes  the  complaint  rests  on  good  grounds. 
Not  infrequently  it  is  quite  as  much  the  fault  of  the 
mistress  as  of  the  girl  that  service  is  unsatisfac- 
tory. The  mistress  is  unable  to  tell  the  servant  what 
she  wishes  done,  or  to  show  her  how  to  do  her  work; 
or  she  is  hard-hearted,  inconsiderate,  and  treats  her 
servant  as  if  she  were  a  machine,  or  a  beast  of  burden, 
and  as  if,  without  instruction,  she  could  do  at  once  any- 
thing required  of  her.  What  wonder  if  there  is  waste 
in  the  household,  or  if  the  servants  oftentimes  deem 
themselves  justified  in  adding  to  their  wages  by 
taking  from  the  stores  of  the  family,  and  add  to  their 
pleasures  by  mingling  in  social  circles  whose  atmos- 
phere is  moral  death.  To  remedy  the  defect  on  the 
part  of  those  who  employ  servants  and  those  who 
serve,  Fliedner,  in  1854,  in  the  face  of  a  great  deal  of 
opposition,  opened  a  school  in  Berlin  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  servant  girls.  It  was  located  at  Marthashof, 
and  was  made  a  part  of  a  much  larger  establishment. 
It  was  under  the  care  of  deaconesses,  and  it  soon 
became  very  popular.  Families  wanting  serv- 
ants were  encouraged  to  apply  to  this  school  for  them 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  151 

and  servants  out  of  employment  were  encouraged  to 
return  to  a  Servants'  Home  established  in  the  same 
court  till  places  for  them  could  be  secured.  Only 
girls  of  good  reputation  were  received  by  Fliedner,  or 
are  received  now.  In  the  group  of  establishments  in 
Berlin,  girls  may  be  instructed  in  every  department  of 
household  labor,  in  washing,  cooking,  sewing,  in  the 
care  of  children,  as  v/ell  as  in  good  manners  and  good 
morals.  Great  care  is  taken  in  schools  of  this  kind, 
which  have  now  sprung  up  all  over  Germany,  to  give 
religious  instruction,  and  to  develop  the  religious  life. 

In  Servants'  Homes,  to  which  allusion  has  been 
made,  there  is  provision  for  girls  who  come  from  the 
country  to  the  city  to  obtain  work.  For  these  inex- 
perienced girls  evil  disposed  persons  are  constantly 
on  the  lookout.  For  a  small  sum,  and  with  oppor- 
tunity to  earn  a  good  part  of  the  disbursement,  these 
girls  are  received  into  a  comfortable,  often  into  an 
attractive  home,  and  when  they  seek  its  shelter  they 
are  heartily  welcomed.  They  are  aided  in  securing 
the  places  for  which  they  are  fitted,  and  which  are 
entirely  respectable.  They  are  made  to  feel,  further, 
that  at  any  time  in  their  lives,  a  visit  from  them  will 
be  agreeable  to  those  in  charge  of  the  institution. 
The  result  has  been  that  out  of  the  thousands  of  girls 
who  have  been  trained  in  this  school  or  temporarily 
connected  with  it,  very  few  have  been  led  away  into 
sin.  It  is  rare  indeed  that  one  who  has  been  an  in- 
mate of  the  Fliedner  establishment  ever  comes  to  be 
treated  in  the  Charite  Hospital  or  the  Hospital  for 
fallen  women. 

Homes  have  also  been  provided  for  factory  girls. 
Careful  examination  into  the  conditions  prevailing  in 


152  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

the  places  where  young  women  leaving  homo  and 
seeking  to  earn  their  own  living  were  compelled  to 
stay,  made  it  clear  that  they  were  almost  uniformly 
bad,  morally,  that  young  women  were  thrown  into 
the  society  of  men  who  had  coarse  tongues  and  loose 
morals.  In  these  boarding  houses  they  had  only  a 
place  to  sleeiD.  Naturally  the  dance  hall  became  at- 
tractive, and  before  one  was  conscious  of  it  the  paths 
of  sin  were  trodden. 

This  work  of  protection  began  in  Stuttgart,  in 
1867.  It  was  soon  taken  up  in  Eisenach  and  in 
Basel.  Roman  Catholics  have  been  prominent  in 
it.  Several  of  these  Homes  for  working  women 
are  to  be  found  in  and  near  Munich.  In  some 
of  them  only  those  engaged  in  the  same  branch 
of  work  are  received.  Such  Homes  are  easiest  to 
manage,  and  are  thought  to  produce  the  best  results. 
In  other  Homes,  all  who  are  engaged  in  any  depart- 
ment of  industry  find  a  refuge. 

The  various  Homes  differ  in  their  discipline,  but 
earnest  efforts  are  made  to  avoid  anything  suggestive 
of  the  Prison  or  the  public  institution.  As  far  as 
may  be,  the  atmosr)here  and  spirit  are  those  of  a 
jparental  home.  Arrangements  for  eating  and  sleep- 
ing are  simple,  yet  attractive.  The  ajopointments, 
while  never  extravagant  or  luxurious,  are  generally 
pleasing.  Nor  do  the  inmates  meet  the  actual  cost 
for  what  is  done  for  them.  Whatever  deficiency 
there  is  comes  from  the  Societies  which  stand  back 
of  the  Homes,  and  which  have  called  them  into  exis- 
tence. While  social  life  and  friendship  between  the 
inmates  are  encouraged,  pains  are  taken  to  fill  the 
HomxC  v.'ith  a  religious  spirit.     In  Protestant  Homes, 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  153 

where  only  girls  who  have  been  confirmed  are  re- 
ceived, it  is  assumed  that  they  have  been  brought  up 
under  the  influence  of  the  Church,  and  that  both 
they  themselves  and  their  parents  wish  tliis  influence 
continued. 

There  are  tv/o  kinds  of  these  Homes:  those  in  which 
persons  are  taken  for  a  fixed  time,  and  those  in  which 
they  are  taken  without  any  reference  to  time.  The 
former  are  known  as  the  closed  homes,  and  are  very 
easy  to  manage;  the  latter  are  the  open  homes,  and 
are  not  altogether  easy  of  control.  The  persons  at 
the  head  of  them,  often  a  man  and  his  wife,  a  deacon, 
if  possible,  or  a  deaconess,  need  peculiar  gifts  to  win 
the  confidence  of  those  v/lio  come  to  them,  and  at 
the  same  time  conduct  the  establishments  on  a  suc- 
cessful business  basis. 

In  the  larger  towns  and  cities  there  have  been 
formed,  in  recent  years,  a  good  many  Sunday  and 
Young  Women's  Societies.  The  object  is  to  furnish 
a  place  with  associations  which  will  draw  together 
young  women  of  about  the  same  age,  and  engaged  in 
the  same  employment,  and  enable  them  the  better  to 
resist  temptation.  For  servants  and  working  girls 
these  Societies  are  beginning  to  be  very  popular. 
There  are  more  than  thirty  of  them  in  Berlin  alone. 
Fran  Banker  Losch  was  instrumental  in  their  earlier 
organization,  and  is  still  prominent  in  their  manage- 
ment.    Her  paper  is  their  organ. 

All  that  is  required  for  the  starting  of  one  of  these 
Societies  is  a  number  of  like= minded  young  women, 
and  an  older  woman  who  will  open  her  house  to  them 
or  meet  them  every  Sunday  afternoon  in  a  room 
which  they  have  hired  for  the   object.     To  do   this, 


154  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Sunday  after  Sunday,  year  in  and  year  out,  calls  for 
not  a  little  self=sacrince.  This  sacrifice  has  been 
cheerfully  made  by  many  Christian  women,  and  with 
results  which  bring  an  abundant  reward. 

Homes  have  also  been  established  in  the  larger 
cities  for  hoys  away  from  their  father^s  house,  at 
school.  Teachers  do  not  now  receive  pupils  from  the 
country  and  the  smaller  towns  into  their  own  fami- 
lies in  anything  like  the  numbers  of  former  years. 
The  little  fellows  who  come  to  the  great  city  for 
their  education  have  a  study  in  one  house,  sleep  else- 
where, and  eat  in  still  another  i)lace.  They  can  have 
no  home  feeling  in  this  sort  of  a  life.  It  is  felt  that 
this  field,  which  has  not  as  yet  been  cultivated  to  any 
extent,  promises  a  rich  harvest.  What  is  wanted  is  a 
place,  a  sort  of  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  which  shall  serve  as  a 
home  for  these  young  students  where  they  shall  find 
opportunities  for  amusement,  perhaps  for  sleeping 
and  eating,  and  at  any  rate  for  social  intercourse. 
There  is  such  a  Home  at  Leipzig,  another  at  Stuttgart. 
To  the  latter  a  chaplain  is  attached,  whose  duty  it  is 
to  look  after  the  young  fellows,  and  to  hold  a  Sunday 
service  for  them.  They  are  encouraged  to  cultivate 
singing,  and  such  games  as  can  be  carried  on  in  a 
garden  attached  to  the  home.  The  library  is  of  no 
small  importance. 

Inns  for  Homes  are  to  be  found  in  almost  every 
considerable  town  in  Germany.  They  are  intended 
to  co=ox3erate  with  Inns  for  the  working  people,  One 
of  these  was  opened  in  Berlin  in  1854.  The  first  year 
only  fifty=four  persons  patronized  it,  v/hile  the  second 
year  one  hundred  and  ten  made  use  of  its  privileges. 
Working  men  are  chiefly  desired,  and  those  who  are 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  155 

on  their  way  to  or  from  some  engagement  as  wage- 
earners.  Of  these  Inns  there  are  now  more  than  four 
hundred  in  the  Empire,  and  they  are  under  careful 
management.  They  are  Christian  and  sympathetic. 
The  man  at  the  head  of  them  is  usually  a  deacon,  or 
a  brother,  who,  with  his  wife,  has  been  trained  for 
the  position  he  fills.  To  the  Inn  there  is  often  joined 
a  Hospiz,  or  boarding-house,  for  the  sake  of  j)rofit. 
Ordinarily  there  are  not  more  than  fifty  beds  in  one 
of  these  Homes.  If  these  are  not  enough  to  meet  the 
demand,  it  is  thought  better  to  open  a  second  Inn 
than  to  enlarge  the  first.  The  head  of  the  house 
must  be  a  whole-hearted,  noble=souled  man,  with  a 
wife  like  him,  so  that  the  confidence  of  the  inmates 
may  be  secured  from  the  moment  they  enter  it.  It  is 
also  regarded  as  important  that  the  salary  be  inde- 
pendent of  the  income  of  the  Inn,  lest  the  keeper 
should  be  tempted  to  conduct  it  with  an  eye  only  to 
profit,  for  while  it  is  desirable  that  expenses  should 
be  met,  it  is  not  desirable  that  they  be  met  at  the  cost 
of  that  for  which  the  Inn  exists,  the  saving  of  those 
who  patronize  it.  Prayers  are  conducted  morning 
and  evening.  A  blessing  is  asked  at  the  table.  The 
atmosphere  of  the  Home  is  Christian.  Attendance  at 
prayers  is  not  compulsory,  but  is  encouraged.  The 
men  are  also  encouraged  to  treat  the  inn=keeper  as 
their  friend,  and  to  appeal  to  him  for  such  advice 
and  assistance  as  they  most  need. 

In  these  and  similar  ways  members  of  the 
Church  of  Prussia  and  each  of  the  provinces  now 
united  in  the  Empire,  are  striving  to  diminish 
the  temptations  to  which  children  of  tender  age, 
youth,  and  even  persons  of  mature  years,   are  ex- 


156  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

posed.  Stimulated  by  the  results  of  these  efforts, 
Government  has  done  a  great  deal  in  the  last  fifty 
years  through  preventive  measures  to  save  its  subjects 
from  leading  wasted  lives.  It  has  also  made  its 
Houses  of  Correction  and  its  Reform  Schools  places 
where  a  wise  Christian  influence  has  been  exerted. 
Still  there  is  more  to  be  done  than  has  yet  been  at- 
tempted, although  in  the  direction  of  prevention  the 
field  is  now  fairly  well  covered.  It  is  the  popular 
belief  that  it  is  wise  to  save  the  material  of  the  Na- 
tion before  it  goes  astray,  and  that  it  is  wiser  to  edu- 
cate a  child  in  principles  of  morality  and  self=respect 
than  to  punish  him  when  grown  for  conduct  which 
seems  to  him  natural — that  it  is  cheaper  to  keep  him 
out  of  prison  than  after  his  dismissal  from  prison  to 
be  compelled  to  order  him  to  go  there,  and  then 
deal  with  him  as  an  enemy  both  of  Society  and  the 
State. 

6.     Education  Societies. 

In  considering  the  measures  taken  to  keep  youth 
from  temptation  and  provide  for  the  training  of  chil- 
dren, the  question  must  have  often  been  asked:  How 
is  the  expense  for  all  this  preventive  and  educational 
work  met?  In  reply  it  may  be  answered,  first,  that 
the  Germans  know  how  to  get  a  great  deal  out  of  a 
little.  The  small  charges  they  make  those  who  be- 
come inmates  of  their  benevolent  institutions,  meet, 
to  a  much  larger  extent  than  v/ould  be  deemed  possi- 
ble, the  cost  of  these  institutions.  Still  there  are 
deficiencies  for  which  provision  must  be  made.  These 
deficiencies  are  most  pressing  in  the  education  of 
children.  Those  children  who  have  parents  to  care 
for  them  are  in  the  main  left  out  of  consideration, 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  157 

It  is  only  when  parents  are  immoral,  nej.;lectful,  or  in 
some  way  incapable  of  performing  their  duties,  that 
benevolence  becomes  operative.  Those  children 
whose  conduct  and  character  are  already  contami- 
nated by  the  atmosphere  of  sin  in  which  they  have 
lived  are  sent  to  Keform  Schools,  where  such  saving 
influences  are  brought  to  bear  upon  them  as  are  pos- 
sible. The  children  of  the  very  poor  are  provided 
for  by  Societies  formed  for  the  purxjose.  As  there 
are  few  families  in  which  it  is  really  desirable  to 
place  children  who  must  be  separated  from  their 
parents,  institutions  to  receive  and  care  for  them  are 
indispensable.  The  leader  or  manager  of  an  Educa- 
tion Society  must  be  a  man  of  good  judgment,  skillful 
in  reading  character,  and  able  to  advise  wisely  as  to 
the  special  course  of  study  to  be  pursued.  Since 
Pestalozzi's  time  Education  Societies  have  increased 
in  number,  and  have  accomplished  an  excellent  work. 
In  addition  to  furnishing  the  necessary  funds  for  the 
pupil's  support,  the  manager  sees  that  they  are 
brought  under  Christian  influences,  and  even  after 
confirmation,  he  strives  to  follow  the  prot6g6s  of  the 
Society  with  friendly  care  and  advice. 

There  are  many  establishments  in  which  boys  are 
received  and  taught  to  work.  Education  is  given  in 
such  branches  of  industry  as  are  best  suited  to  indi- 
vidual taste  or  genius.  Dismissed  from  these  estab- 
lishments when  prepared  for  confirmation,  efforts  are 
made  to  secure  such  a  start  for  the  inmates  as  will 
contribute  to  their  success  in  life  and  make  for  the 
development  of  a  truly  Christian  character. 

Owing  to  peculiar  industrial  conditions  in  many  lo- 
calities Public  Schools  are  in  session  only  during  the 


158  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

first  half  of  the  day.  While  this  arrangement  favors 
those  parents  whose  boys  are  needed  on  the  farm,  or 
are  in  any  way  able  to  contribute  by  their  labor  to  the 
support  of  the  family,  many  pupils  are  left  to  roam 
the  streets  in  the  afternoons  or  to  busy  themselves  as 
they  please.  Where  parents  are  occupied,  or  careless, 
boys  are  likely  to  get  into  bad  company,  or  to  contract 
habits  which  render  their  downfall  swift  and  easy. 
Certain  benevolently  disposed  persons  have  therefore 
provided  places  where  these  idle  boys,  with  the 
consent  of  their  parents,  can  be  received,  and  given 
instruction,  supplemental  to  that  imparted  in  the 
Public  School.  Where  land  is  plenty,  as  it  is  in  or 
near  most  of  the  larger  towns,  they  are  taught  the 
principles  of  gardening,  the  care  of  trees  and  flowers, 
how  to  look  after  cattle  and  horses,  how  to  keep  the 
barn  and  house  tidy,  how  to  prepare  the  ground  for 
those  simple  crops  on  which  agricultural  prosperity 
so  largely  depends.  Some  are  taught  the  elements  of 
a  trade,  such  as  carpentry,  blacksmithing,  masonry,  or 
some  other  occupation  of  advantage  in  after  life.  For 
their  labor,  these  pupils,  who  come  entirely  of  their 
own  will,  receive  a  small  sum  each  day,  which  is 
reckoned  up  at  the  end  of  every  month,  and,  unless 
the  condition  of  the  family  demands  it,  is  deposited  in 
a  savings  bank  to  the  credit  of  those  who  have  earned 
it.  Should  the  family  need  it,  the  money  is  paid  at 
once.  Bad  behavior  is  punished  not  only  with  ex- 
pulsion from  the  school,  but  with  the  forfeiture  of 
deposits.  So  far  as  it  can  be  done,  work  in  these 
voluntary  schools  is  made  pleasant  and  easy. 
Through  its  variety,  it  often  becomes  attractive,  as 
well  as  instructive.     In  these  schools  there  is  a  good 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  159 

deal  of  singing,  of  marching  to  music,  and  of  that 
kind  of  exercise  in  which  boys  of  exuberant  life  take 
delight.  Through  appropriate  religious  exercises  a 
reverent  recognition  of  God  is  secured.  The  boys 
who  attend  these  schools  are  in  considerable  demand 
as  aiDprentices.  A  school  of  this  character,  ojiened  at 
Darmstadt  in  1828,  has  now  400  boys  under  its  care. 
Similar  schools  at  Heilbronn,  Altoona,  and  Dresden 
have  flourished  greatly.  The  plan  has  been  to  fill  up 
the  unoccupied  hours  of  the  day  with  employments  at 
once  pleasant  and  profitable.  For  the  more  common 
trades,  and  also  for  farm  work  an  uneducated  man 
serves  as  a  teacher,  but  for  instruction  in  books,  which 
is  often  essential,  a  well  trained  professional  teacher 
of  experience,  and  of  an  undoubted  Christian  charac- 
ter is  sui:)plied.  Some  of  the  drawbacks  in  the  work 
are  the  irregularity  of  attendance  on  the  part  of  the 
pupils,  and  the  utter  indifference  of  parents  to  the 
welfare  of  the  children.  Discipline  is  a  matter  of 
some  difficulty,  as  these  schools  must  always  be  vol- 
untary, so  conducted  as  not  to  abridge  the  freedom 
of  the  pupils.  There  are  a  few  schools  where  girls, 
who  are  in  the  same  condition  as  their  brothers, 
are  received. 

In  Young  Peoples'  Societies  there  is  a  growing  in- 
terest. In  a  country  where  the  people  are  inclined 
to  form  a  "Union"  for  almost  every  object  they  de- 
sire to  accomplish,  this  is  natural.  At  present  about 
a  thousand  Unions,  for  young  men  alone,  have  been 
organized.  They  are  the  result  of  efforts  put  forth 
by  earnest  pastors  to  prevent  young  men,  chiefly  of 
the  working  classes,  from  yielding  to  temptations  pe- 
culiar to  their  age  and  condition  in  life.     The  sugges- 


160  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

tion  that  such  Societies  be  formed,  came  from  Pastor 
Meyenrock,  of  Basel,  as  early  as  1768.  Under  his 
leadership  this  plan  of  reaching  young  men  by  salu- 
tary influences  was  for  many  years  very  successful. 
Then  came  a  period  of  decline,  followed  by  a  revival 
of  interest  in  this  method  of  work  about  the  year 
1835,  when  many  influential  pastors  and  professors 
spoke  out  strongly  in  its  favor.  In  1847,  Young 
Men's  Societies  had  become  so  numerous  that  they 
were  associated  together  as  a  Bund,  or  League,  and 
in  1867  were  brought  still  closer  together,  in  the 
Union  formed  by  the  provinces  of  the  Rhine  and 
Westphalia.  Since  that  time.  Young  Peoples'  Unions 
have  had  a  rapid  growth  in  all  parts  of  the  Empire. 
Holland  and  Switzerland,  like  Germany,  have  begun 
to  look  after  their  young  people.  In  France,  Socie- 
ties of  young  men  have  attracted  to  their  member- 
ship Christian  young  men  of  culture,  who  use  them 
as  centers  from  which  to  carry  on  efficient  Christian 
work.  In  the  three  countries  just  named,  the  pur- 
pose of  these  organizations  is  to  strengthen  Christian 
faith  and  protect  from  evil.  In  England  and  Amer- 
ica, these  Unions  have  been  rendered  unnecessary  by 
the  broader  and  more  democratic  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association.  For  some  reason,  perhaps  because 
of  the  impossibility  of  overcoming  class  distinctions, 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  has  not  flour- 
ished in  Germany,  although  the  Association  in  Ber- 
lin has  a  fine  property,  and  is  doing  a  much  needed 
work.  The  same  is  true  of  the  Association  in  Ham- 
burg, but  the  Societies  described  above,  which  are  in 
fact  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations,  are  best 
suited  to  German  parishes  and  to  the  social  condi- 


PREVENTIVE  METHODS  161 

tions  which  prevail  in  them.  Either  because  he  sug- 
gests its  formation,  or  is  most  active  in  bringing  it 
about,  the  pastor  is  usually  chosen  as  the  manager 
of  each  local  Society,  and  is  responsible  for  its  pro- 
gramme. To  its  work,  two  or  three  evenings  a  week 
are  often  devoted.  The  membership  fee  is  from  six 
to  twelve  cents  a  month.  In  the  most  advanced  Soci- 
ety, none  are  received  under  eighteen  years  of  age. 
For  their  highest  efficiency,  it  has  been  found  that  a 
few  real  Christians  are  necessary  as  a  nucleus.  The 
broad  aim  is  religious  and  social  culture,  and  the  un- 
folding of  the  better  and  nobler  qualities  of  a  young 
man's  nature  in  such  conditions  as  will  stimulate 
him  in  his  desire  to  attain  the  highest  possible  suc- 
cess in  life.  In  many  of  the  Societies,  classes  for  the 
study  of  the  Bible  are  formed,  with  the  pastor  as 
teacher.  Meetings  are  often  held  for  the  discussion 
of  religious  questions.  Certain  so=called  Sunday  So- 
cieties, hire  a  room,  which  serves  as  a  refuge  for 
those  whose  homes  are  unattractive,  to  which  they 
can  invite  their  friends,  and  where  they  can  find  the 
fellowship  they  desire.  Most  of  the  Societies,  through 
some  of  their  members,  engage  in  Christian  work  of 
some  kind  among  soldiers,  in  prisons,  or  among  spe- 
cial classes  of  wage= earners,  to  whom  they  can  at 
least  hand  a  paper  or  a  tract,  and  speak  a  friendly 
word.  Although  the  theory  of  the  Church  is  that 
when  a  person  has  been  confirmed  he  is  old  enough, 
and  strong  enough  to  care  for  himself,  experience 
has  made  it  evident  that  Unions  of  young  people, 
both  for  young  men  and  young  women,  are  of  great 
service.  Many  have  been  formed,  even  for  children 
of  eight  and  ten,  and  while  in  general,  pastors  have 


162  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

organized  and  conducted  them,  well-educated  laymen 
are  here  discovering  a  promising  and  attractive  field 
of  usefulness.  If  the  Church  hitherto  has  been  a 
Church  of  ministers  only,  the  signs  are  that  many 
who  belong  to  the  laity  will  soon  become  active  and 
aggressive  in  it. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  PRESERVATION  OF  THOSE  WHO  ARE  IN 
DANGER. 

One  of  the  objects  of  the  Inner  Mission  is  to  fol- 
low with  Christian  influences  those  who  are  deprived 
of  the  privilege  of  attending  regularly  the  services 
of  the  house  of  God.  "  Separate  coals,"  say  the 
managers  of  this  Mission,  "will  not  burn.  They 
must  be  brought  together."  Although  Protestants 
are  relatively  two  to  one  as  compared  with  Roman 
Catholics  in  Germany,  there  are  sections  of  the  coun- 
try in  which  the  evangelical  element  is  very  small. 
Those  who  represent  the  latter  live  far  from  each 
other.  With  but  rare  exceptions,  they  find  it  diffi- 
cult to  attend  Church,  and  often  the  distance  is  very 
great.  The  children  of  these  "  dispersed  among  the 
Romanists"  are  deprived  of  the  advantages  of  the 
Protestant  school,  and  of  the  religious  instruction 
supplied  by  the  Protestant  pastor.  Even  if  the 
Evangelicals  were  desirous  of  founding  a  Church  and 
a  school,  with  pastor  and  teacher,  it  would  be  a  seri- 
ous matter  to  secure  the  means  necessary  for  such  an 
undertaking.  It  was  for  this  reason  that,  on  Nov.  6, 
1832,  the  two  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  battle  of 
Ltitzen,  and  of  the  death  of  Gustavus  Adolphus, 
king  of  Sweden,  the  Gustav  Adolphus  Verein  or 
Church  and  Parsonage  Building  Society,  was  organ- 

163 


164  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

ized  by  the  ten  thousand  Germans  who  had  met  on 
the  battle^ field  in  memory  of  the  hero.  The  j)rime 
object  of  the  Society  was  to  furnish  aid  to  those  whose 
lot  is  cast  among  Roman  Catholics,  and  who  are  un- 
able from  their  own  resources  to  build  Churches, 
establish  schools,  or  sustain  a  pastor  and  teacher. 
For  nine  or  ten  years  the  work  of  the  Union  was  dis- 
appointing; its  real  prosperity  dates  from  1841,  when 
Prelate  Zimmermann,  of  Darmstadt,  assumed  its  con- 
trol. He  awakened  German  Protestants  to  a  sense  of 
its  importance.  Contributions  increased  rapidly. 
Parishes  were  laid  out  in  the  Catholic  sections  of  the 
country,  and  rallying^points  provided  for  the  scattered 
members  of  the  evangelical  fold.  The  principles  of 
the  Society  are  those  of  the  entire  Evangelical 
Church,  rather  than  of  any  single  section  of  it.  By 
its  statutes,  it  is  placed  within  the  Church,  but  above 
all  party  divisions. 

Its  leaders  have  often  been  greatly  tried  by  lack  of 
piety  on  the  part  of  those  who  have  formed  the  new 
parish.  Many  have  taken  an  interest  in  the  building 
of  a  Church  who  have  cared  nothing  for  doctrines  of 
grace,  but  have  been  influenced  solely  by  their  hatred 
of  Romanism.  After  the  edifice  is  completed  such 
people  almost  invariably  lose  their  interest  in  the 
work  of  the  parish,  rarely  attend  Church  service,  and 
render  slight  aid  to  the  pastor.  With  such  obstacles 
to  contend  against  it  is  hard  to  do  efiicient  Christian 
service.  It  is  doubly  hard  in  a  town  or  country 
where  the  majority  of  the  people  are  Romanists. 
Not  infrequently  mixed  marriages  and  social  relations 
carry  Evangelicals  over  into  the  Church  of  Rome,  or 
render    them  indifferent    to    the  principles    of    the 


PRESERVATION  FROM  DANGER  165 

Church  in  whicli  they  were  born.  Yet  upon  the 
whole  the  work  of  the  Society  has  been  successfuL 
Not  less  than  28,000,000  marks,  or  more  than  $7,000, 
000,  have  been  gathered  and  expended  in  the  last 
fifty  years.  The  Society  ministers  without  prejudice 
to  members  of  the  Reformed  and  the  Lutheran  faith. 

As  a  counterweight  to  this  society,  whicli  by  some 
is  thought  rather  liberal,  there  was  formed,  in  1853, 
what  is  called  the  Lutheran  Gotteskasten,  a  society 
which  M^orks  actively,  although  less  extensively,  than 
the  Gustav  Adolphus  Verein,  in  strictly  confessionel, 
i.  e.  extremely  orthodox,  circles.  Yet  it  grants  assist- 
ance to  those  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  who 
live  where  the  majority  of  the  people  are  of  the 
Reformed  faith.  It  aids  in  the  erection  not  only  of 
suitable  buildings  for  schools,  but  in  the  support  of 
pastors  and  teachers.  There  are  also  Societies  with  a 
similar  aim  in  German=speaking  Switzerland,  and  in 
Russia.  Stimulated  by  Protestant  activity,  Roman 
Catholics,  through  their  Boniface  Society,  aid  in  the 
formation  of  parishes,  and  in  the  erection  of  Churches 
for  those  of  their  faith. 

The  methods  pursued  by  these  Church^ Building 
and  Parish=Creating  Societies  do  not  greatly  differ 
from  those  pursued  in  the  United  States.  The 
nucleus  of  a  parish  is  gathered  first  of  all,  either 
through  a  missionary  pastor,  or  as  the  result  of  the 
earnest  spiritual  life  of  a  few  families  living  in  a 
needy  district.  If  the  people  are  able  and  willing  to 
assume  their  proper  share  of  the  responsibility  for 
the  support  of  the  parish  when  organized,  measures 
are  taken  to  provide  the  necessary  buildings.  Em- 
phasis is  put  upon  the  fact  that  spiritual  life  alone 


166  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

must  be  the  source  of  power  in  the  new  parish,  that 
vvorlclliness,  or  opposition  to  Rome,  will  not  supply 
the  force  needed  in  the  formation  of  a  Church,  or  in 
the  carrying  forward  of  its  work. 

The  report  of  the  Gustav  Adolphus  Verein  in  Oct., 
1894,  was  as  follows:  This  Society  now  embraces  45 
chief  societies,  with  1827  branch,  509  women's,  and 
10  students',  societies.  During  the  year  1892-3,  it 
assisted  1698  parishes  and  institutions  of  benevo- 
lence, at  a  cost  of  over  1,121,980  marks,  or  nearly 
$300,000.  Since  1844,  it  has  expended  28,191,220 
marks,  and  has  aided  4,028  parishes.  More  exactly, 
it  has  aided  in  the  building  of  17,833  Churches  or 
places  for  divine  service,  707  school  houses,  and  702 
parsonages.  It  has  aided  in  paying  the  debt  on  704 
church  buildings,  and  acquired  171  sites  for  Churches, 
school  houses,  and  cemeteries,  helped  to  pay  1366 
debts  on  Church  buildings,  and  contributed  to  the 
support  of  2,136  pastors  and  teachers.  It  has  helped 
to  support  58  seminaries  and  other  institutions  of 
learning,  507  houses  in  which  candidates  for  confirm- 
ation are  temporarily  received,  free  of  cost,  besides  aid- 
ing the  treasuries  of  thirty  establishments  for  the  care 
of  the  widows  of  ministers  and  teachers.  It  has  thus 
united  in  itself  the  duties  of  a  Church  Building  Society, 
an  Education  Society,  a  Home  Missionary  Society,  and 
a  Ministerial  Aid  Society,  and  in  fifty  years  has  dis- 
pensed the  very  large  sum,  for  Germany,  of  $7,000,000. 
The  special  aim  of  the  Verein  has  been  to  save  souls 
through  conversion,  and  then,  out  of  these  saved 
souls,  to  form  parishes  which  shall  act  as  a  leaven  in 
Catholic  Germany.     Efforts  have  also  been  put  forth 


PRESERVATION  FROM  DANGER  167 

to  furnish  the  Gospel  to  evangelical  Germans  dwell- 
ing in  foreign  lands.  Even  in  countries  where  a 
pure  Gospel  is  proclaimed,  it  is  not  so  effective  as 
when  song,  prayer,  and  sermon  are  in  one's  native 
tongue.  Many  Christians  at  home  think  the  old 
Mays  must  be  preserved,  the  old  liturgy  and  the  old 
hymns  used,  or  the  emigrant  will  forget  his  Father- 
land. In  Paris  and  Lyons,  there  are  schools  and 
Churches,  with  numerous  Societies  for  Christian 
work  for  the  German  residents  of  those  cities.  In 
Paris,  there  is  a  Home  for  servant  girls  similar  to 
that  in  Berlin.  There  is  a  school  also  for  women 
who  are  to  be  teachers.  To  contributions  gathered 
on  the  field  for  the  support  of  this  work,  gifts  from 
the  home  Churches  are  added.  This  foreign  work 
is  under  the  care  of  a  committee,  composed  of  such 
men  as  Von  Bodelschwingh,  Mast,  and  Fresius. 

There  are  several  German  parishes  in  Switzerland. 
In  Rome  and  Florence,  an  important  work  for  Ger- 
man residents  has  been  carried  on  for  many  years.  A 
new  Church  edifice  will  undoubtedly  soon  be  erected  in 
Rome.  The  work  in  Spain,  under  Pastor  Fritz 
Fliedner,  is  said  to  be  important  and  promising.  In 
London  there  are  scattered  parishes  which  might  be 
more  closely  united  to  their  mutual  advantage.  In 
Holland,  Scandinavia,  and  Portugal  there  are  a  few 
parishes.  In  addition  to  parishes  in  South  Eastern 
Europe,  Roumania,  Bulgaria,  and  Servia,  parishes 
have  been  formed  in  Constantinople,  Smyrna,  Beirut, 
Jerusalem,  Alexandria,  and  Cairo.  Formerly  these 
oriental  parishes  were  under  the  care  of  the  Prussian^ 
English  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,  but  as  this  bishopric 


168  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

has  been  divided,  and  no  one  appointed  to  represent 
Germany,  parishes  in  the  East  are  at  present  almost 
independent,  in  some  cases  entirely  so. 

With  the  growing  emigration  to  South  America, 
increasing  efPorts  have  been  made,  and  with  success, 
to  organize  parishes  there.  But  the  great  work  of 
the  German  Churches  in  the  foreign  jfield  has 
been  in  North  America.  Here,  while  German  influ- 
ence has  not  always  been  favorable  to  religion,  no 
one  can  deny  that  the  Lutheran  Church,  English  and 
German,  has  been  a  spiritual  power.  It  is  enough  sim- 
ply to  refer  to  the  influence  of  such  religious  bodies  as 
the  Synodal  Conference  of  Missouri,  the  General  Coun- 
cil, the  General  Synod,  the  Evangelical  Synod,  and  half 
a  dozen  smaller  bodies,  all  of  them  eager  in  the  de- 
fence of  what  seems  to  their  members  Gospel  truth. 
In  Germany,  there  are  several  schools  in  which  min- 
isters and  teachers  are  prepared  for  service  in  the 
United  States.  Although  something  has  been  done 
in  this  direction  for  South  America,  the  ministerial 
ofhce  there  has  frequently  been  made  a  matter  of 
gain  rather  than  of  Christian  self-sacrifice.  Not 
much  as  yet  has  been  accomplished  for  Australia, 
Thus  far,  neither  the  Gustav  Adolphus  Verein,  nor 
the  Government,  through  the  Cultus  Minister,  has 
expended  much  money  for  German  settlers  abroad. 
Yet  many  attempts  have  been  made  to  excite  an  in- 
terest in  these  settlers  on  the  part  of  those  who 
remain  at  home.  It  is  said  that  the  German  soon 
forgets  his  native  land,  that  he  speedily  adapts  him- 
self to  his  new  environments,  that  his  children  care 
little  for  his  language,  that  the  third  generation  in 
America   is  completely    Americanized,      Something 


PRESERVATION  FROM  DANGER  169 

must  be  done,  it  is  urged,  to  preserve  a  closer  union 
than  now  exists  between  the  Churches  in  the  United 
States  and  other  foreign  countries,  and  those  at  home. 
Prussia  has  taken  some  steps  toward  bringing  about 
such  a  union,  but  nothing  really  effective  has  yet 
been  accomplished. 

Special  dangers  attend  that  class  of  German  labor- 
ers who  either  wholly,  or  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year,  leave  their  homes  for  places  where  they  can 
obtain  better  wages  than  they  are  ordinarily  paid. 
Thus  thousands  of  peat  diggers,  grass  mowers,  tile 
makers,  piece  workers,  are  found  during  the  larger 
portion  of  the  year  in  Holland.  Their  work  is  hard. 
Family  influences  are  broken  up.  Habits  of  intem- 
perance and  immorality  are  easily  formed.  Neither 
Churches  nor  pastors  are  present  to  exercise  restrain- 
ing influence.  Of  late  years,  pastors  have  tried  to 
follow  these  members  of  their  parishes  into  Holland, 
remaining  with  them  for  a  time,  and  holding  divine 
service  among  them,  distributing  Christian  literature, 
providing  them  with  copies  of  the  Word  of  God,  and 
visiting  them  in  their  miserable  habitations  when  the 
day's  work  is  over.  In  this  way  they  keep  them 
from  giving  themselves  up  to  sin. 

From  Eastern  Germany,  many  persons,  chiefly  of 
the  peasant  class,  are  accustomed  in  harvest  time  to 
seek  work  wherever  it  can  be  found.  Men  and  wo- 
men, girls  and  boys,  go  out  together  in  great  crowds. 
From  the  way  in  which  they  live,  as  well  as  through 
their  association  in  the  fields,  much  immorality  has 
resulted.  Children  have  been  deprived  of  school 
privileges.  In  fact,  nearly  all  moral  restraint  has 
been  taken  away.     Appeals  have  been  made  to  the 


170  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

farmers,  or  the  employers  of  this  migrating  multi- 
tude, to  furnish  those  who  compose  it  suitable  places 
to  sleep  and  eat,  and  to  see  that  they  are  put  under 
overseers  who  will  do  what  they  can  to  prevent  im- 
morality. It  is  for  the  State  to  see  that  the  children 
attend  school. 

In  previous  years  there  has  been  great  moral  laxity 
among  the  men  who  have  been  engaged  in  building 
railways,  turnpikes,  and  canals.  Coming,  as  nearly 
all  these  laborers  do,  from  the  lower  ranks  of  society, 
or  being  those  whose  sinful  past  has  degraded  them  to 
a  point  where  they  are  content  to  live  in  dirt,  it  is 
not  strange  that  drunkenness  and  sins  of  the  flesh 
abound  among  them.  Within  a  few  years  barracks, 
or  shelter  houses,  have  been  furnished  these  laborers, 
and  certain  persons  have  devoted  their  lives  to 
efforts  to  reach  them  with  the  Gospel.  These  bar- 
racks are  so  constructed  that  they  can  be  taken  down 
readily  and  put  up  again.  As  far  as  possible,  men  are 
given  separate  rooms,  although  the  partitions  be- 
tween the  mens'  rooms  are  of  boards.  Visits  of 
local  pastors  have  been  abundant  and  in  many  in- 
stances welcome.  These  places  of  shelter  are  closed 
at  ten  o'clock  every  night.  There  are  peculiar  temp- 
tations for  those  who  live  in  river  and  canal  boats. 
Where  the  entire  family  has  its  home  on  the  boat, 
the  moral  dangers  are  less  than  where  the  man  is 
single.  Now  that  Christian  people  pay  visits  to 
these  boatmen,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  regular  services 
will  in  future  be  held  for  them  when  in  port.  It  is 
also  thought  that  Inns  will  soon  be  established  where 
the  boatmen  may  for  a  little  while  find  a  home,  and 
where  they  will  be  brought  into  a   Christian  atmos- 


PRESERVATION  FROM  DANGER  171 

phere,  and  made  acquainted  with  Christian  people. 
Such  an  Inn  at  Berlin,  Christian  people  are  confident 
would  receive  large  patronage.  They  also  feel  that 
thought  should  be  given  to  the  education  of  the 
children  who  live  on  these  boats. 

Since  1884,  that  is,  since  the  commercial   life  of 
Germany  assumed  new  importance,  Missions  for  Sea- 
men have  received   a   good  deal   of  attention.     Not 
only  has  the  welfare  of  sailors  on   board  ship  been 
sought,  but  provision  has  been  made  for  them  when 
on  land.     The  Central  Seamen's  Committee  has  its 
headquarters  in  Berlin,  but  there  is  a  Committee  in 
Hamburg  and  other  ports.     At  Hamburg  there  is  a 
Sailors'  Home,  with  a  pastor  or  chaplain,  whose  duty 
it  is  to  seek  the  sailor's  welfare.     Something  has  also 
been  done  for  German  sailors  at  Cardiff,  Wales,   and 
at  Capetown,  South  Africa.     What  is  needed,   it  is 
affirmed,  is  a   union   between  ship-owners,   and  the 
friends  of  the  sailors,  to  keep  the  latter  out   of   the 
hands  of  the  land=sharks,  vrlio  are  ready  to  strip  them 
of  their  earnings  the  moment  money  comes  into  their 
hands.     It  is  also  thought  that  captains  may,  if  they 
will,  render  efficient  aid   in   protecting   those   under 
them  from  the  immoral  and   almost   wholly   destruc- 
tive influences  which  meet  them  the  moment  port  is 
reached.     It  is  an  encouraging  sign   that  people  are 
beginning  to  see  that  Sailors'  Homes  are  needed,  as 
well  as  more    extensive    provision    for     the     com- 
fort and  moral  well  being     of    the   sailor    than  has 
hitherto  been  deemed  necessary. 

As  about  ninety  per  cent,  of  all  German  emigrants 
go  to  the  United  States  or  to  Canada,  a  Committee 
has  been  in  existence  many  years  to  meet  these  emi- 


172  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

grants  as  they  land  in  New  York.  This  Committee 
furnishes  them  a  temporary  home,  if  necessary,  and 
directs  them  on  their  further  journeys.  Latterly,  it 
has  become  a  habit  with  German  pastors  to  give 
those  who  seek  a  home  in  a  new  country  a  letter  cer- 
tifying to  good  standing  in  the  Church  at  home,  and 
commending  its  possessor  to  the  care  of  the  pastor  of 
the  Church  near  which  they  may  live  in  the  country 
of  their  adoption. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CARE  OF  DEFECTIVES  AND  THE  SICK. 

Of  defectives  and  the  sick  there  are  several  classes. 
For  some  of  them  the  Government  has  made  provis- 
ion, although  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  Inner  Mission 
it  had  done  comparatively  little  for  them.  Among 
those  to  whom  Christian  benevolence  first  turned  its 
attention  were  the  deaf  and  dumh.  There  are  at 
present  about  forty  thousand  of  this  class  in  the 
German  Empire.  As  the  misfortune  from  which 
most  sufifer,  comes  from  defective  organs  which 
are  caused,  or  at  any  rate  made  worse,  by  lack  of 
nourishing  food  and  warm  clothing,  they  are  found 
more  frequently  among  the  poor  than  among  the 
rich.  They  are  often  met  with  among  the  children 
of  blood  relatives.  Work  in  their  behalf,  through 
the  sign  language,  was  begun  in  Paris  early  in  the 
last  century  by  Charles  Michel.  About  the  middle 
of  the  century,  Eppendorf  introduced  the  word 
method,  with  the  utterance  of  sounds,  but  as  he 
would  not  impart  the  secret  except  for  a  large  sum  of 
money,  it  did  not  come  into  general  use  for  many 
years.  It  is  now  more  commonly  employed,  even 
in  France,  than  the  sign  language. 

These  poor  children  make  a  piteous  appeal  to  a 
compassionate  heart,  since  they  cannot  be  properly 
taught  in  the  public  schools,  even  if  the  teachers  in 

173 


174  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

these  schools  are  disposed  to  give  them  a  great  deal  of 
extra  attention.  Still  less  successfully  can  they  be 
taught  at  home.  Nothing  remains  but  to  remove 
them  to  an  institution,  where  they  will  receive  that 
bodily  care  which  is  needful,  as  well  as  that  peculiar 
instruction  without  which  their  lives  are  a  continual 
misery.  On  reaching  the  age  of  seventeen,  the  mute 
is  j)repared  for  work  in  favorable  surroundings,  and 
taught  to  earn  his  living.  Those  interested  in  the 
welfare  of  the  mute  early  decided  that  he  should 
be  taken  from  his  parents,  by  law,  if  they  will  not 
otherwise  consent,  when  not  more  than  seven  years 
old.  In  large  towns,  like  Berlin,  services  are  held  for 
these  mutes  on  Sunday,  and  wherever  they  live,  care 
is  taken  on  the  part  of  the  Asylum  in  which  they 
have  been  taught,  to  follow  and  encourage  them  when- 
ever they  are  in  need.  Tlie  religious  aim  is  to  instruct 
these  unfortunate  youth  in  the  principles  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  thus  aid  them  to  bear  cheerfully  the  burdens 
which  they  are  taught  to  believe  their  Heavenly 
Father  has  mysteriously  imposed  upon  them.  In 
allied  institutions,  those  afflicted  with  the  habit  of 
stammering  or  stuttering,  are  received  and  are  often 
wholly,  or  partially,  cured.  Societies  whose  object  is 
to  collect  in  small  sums  from  every  part  of  Germany  the 
money  required  for  the  support  of  these  institutions,  or 
for  the  bodily  or  spiritual  welfare  of  those  who  are 
sent  to  them,  are  the  outgrowth  of  the  Christian  spirit 
which  prevails  in  the  Churches. 

There  are  about  forty  thousand  hlind  persons  in 
the  Empire,  Since  many  who  are  threatened  with 
the  loss  of  sight  can  be  cured  if  looked  after  at  birth, 
it  is  necessary  to  furnish  physicians  for  the  poor,  and 


CARE  OF  THE  SICK  175 

persons  to  teach  timid  or  heedless  parents  their  re- 
sponsibility if  they  refuse  to  permit  the  skilled  phy- 
sician to  exercise  his  healing  power.  Many  sufiPer 
from  inflammation  of  the  eye  or  from  what  is  called 
Egyptian  eye=sickness.  Nearly  all  are  improved  if 
not  permanently  healed  by  better  care.  With  the 
decrease  of  poverty  is  closely  connected  a  decrease 
in  the  number  of  the  blind.  Severe  penalties  are 
visited  on  physicans  through  whose  carelessness  new= 
born  children  lose  their  sight. 

A  rare  capacity  for  music  in  Theresia  von  Paradis, 
of  Vienna,  made  it  clear  to  Valentine  Hauy,  in  Paris, 
about  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  that  the  blind 
have  the  power  to  learn.  He  at  once  set  about  estab- 
lishing institutions  in  which  they  could  be  taught. 
He  originated  one  in  Berlin,  and  not  long  after  an- 
other in  St.  Petersburg,  but  as  his  forte  was  discov- 
ery, rather  than  organization,  he  accomplished  less 
than  was  anticipated.  The  next  step  was  taken  in 
Vienna  by  John  William  Klein,  a  man  with  practi- 
cal ideas.  Knowing  very  little  of  his  x^redecessor's 
methods,  he  secured  a  blind  child  on  whom  to  ex- 
periment, taught  him  how  to  take  care  of  himself  in 
life,  and  having  done  this  brought  him  to  the  city 
authorities,  who  were  struck  with  wonder  at  what 
they  saw.  Mr.  Klein  was  the  author  of  several  val- 
uable treatises,  and  the  founder  of  an  institution  for 
the  blind. 

Prof.  Zeune,  of  Berlin,  was  influenced  by  Hauy,  and 
during  the  Napoleonic  wars  took  a  few  blind  chil- 
dren into  his  own  home  and  taught  them  carefully,  ac- 
cording to  the  principles  at  that  time  in  vogue.  The 
jnost  distinguished  of  his  pupils  was  John  Knie,  who 


176  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

became  the  head  teacher  in  the  Asyhim  for  the  Blind 
at  Breslaii,  Schlesia.  He  was  a  living,  and  therefore 
convincing,  witness  of  what  can  be  done  for  the  blind. 
The  institution  at  Dresden  was  opened  by  a  pupil 
of  Zeune's,  named  Flemming,  though  he  was  not 
blind.  It  was  his  son=in'law.  Director  George,  who 
exerted  such  influence  while  at  Dresden  and  after 
leaving  the  city.  For  many  years,  these  Asylums, 
like  those  for  the  mutes,  were  sustained  by  private 
donations,  though  at  present  Government  meets  their 
expense.  The  object  of  instruction  is  to  supplement 
the  missing  organ  by  a  proper  use  of  the  other  or- 
gans which  God  has  provided.  The  moment  this  is 
done,  a  state  of  dependency  is  exchanged  for  a  state 
of  independence,  self-support  and  contentment.  Till 
he  is  ten,  a  boy  born  blind  is  permitted  to  attend  the 
Public  School  as  by  so  doing  he  will  learn  a  great  deal 
by  listening  to  what  is  said.  Ear,  hand,  understand- 
ing, memory,  can  here  be  taught.  If  the  home  sur- 
roundings are  bad,  experts  say  the  blind  jjupil  should 
be  taken  to  the  preparatory  school  for  the  blind  un- 
der compulsion  on  the  part  of  the  State  if  need  be. 
Here  he  must  remain  till  he  is  eighteen,  at  least,  or 
till  he  has  mastered  a  profession,  by  which  he  can 
earn  his  own  living.  Special  attention  is  given  to 
music,  instrumental  and  vocal,  and  great  care  is  taken 
that  the  latter  is  not  of  the  kind  that  disposes  to  beg- 
ging. After  the  time  for  confirmation  has  passed, 
the  pupil  is  taught  as  many  branches  of  simple  hand= 
work  as  is  possible,  so  that  he  may  never  be  at  a  loss 
for  means  of  support.  Sometimes  efforts  are  made 
to  sell  the  products  of  these  blind  toilers,  and  thus 
contribute   something  to  their  comfort.     But  what- 


CARE  OF  THE  SICK  177 

ever  else  the  Government  does,  it  does  not  look  after 
the  religious  welfare  of  its  blind  subjects.  This  is 
left  for  the  Inner  Mission  to  do.  And  this  it  does 
faithfully  and  systematically. 

As  the  result  of  the  influence  of  the  Inner  Mis- 
sion, a  few  Asylums  have  been  established  for  those 
blind  persons  who,  having  passed  through  the  ordinary 
asylums  and  prepared  themselves  for  work,  are  yet 
unable  to  obtain  it,  or  to  make  it  productive.  These  es- 
tablishments, which  follow  their  inmates  with  their 
care,  are  not  required  for  the  majority  of  those  who 
are  born  blind,  although  help  is  sometimes  asked  for 
in  the  furnishing  of  materials  to  be  used  in  self-sus- 
taining labor,  and  in  the  sale  of  the  product,  together 
with  frequent  visits,  and,  in  cases  of  great  distress, 
the  giving  or  the  loaning  of  money.  Money  is  loaned 
only  to  those  who  are  known  to  be  worthy.  Here  the 
Mission  has  the  field  almost  entirely  to  itself.  In 
Asylums  for  the  blind  and  for  mutes,  persons  of  both 
sexes  are  received. 

For  no  class  of  unfortunates  does  Christian  benev- 
olence feel  a  more  genuine  sympathy  than  for  idiots 
and  epileptics.  Of  idiocy  the  Germans  distinguish 
three  forms,  weakmindedness,  imbecility,  and  mental 
weakness  connected  with  a  misshapen  body.  At 
times  the  so-called  idiot  seems  to  be  suffering  only 
from  immobility  of  mind,  or  mental  inertness.  Thus 
there  are  all  degrees  of  idiocy,  from  a  slight  helpless- 
ness, or  clumsiness  of  mind,  to  its  apparently  entire 
absence.  Medical  skill  has  not  yet  discovered  any 
cure  for  mental  weakness,  nor  are  its  causes  fully  un- 
derstood, although  it  may  often  be  traced  to  a  com- 
bination of  causes.    There  are  57,000  of  these  sufferers 


178  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

in  Germany,  and  Government  has  done  very  little  for 
them.  Care  for  them,  and  for  epileptics,  has  been 
left  almost  entirely  to  private  benevolence.  This  has 
come  chiefly  from  Christian  circles,  and  through 
appeals  sent  forth  by  societies  connected  with  the 
Inner  Mission.  There  is  hardly  any  branch  of  be- 
nevolent service  which  requires  greater  skill,  jDatience, 
and  self-denial,  than  the  service  rendered  these  de- 
fectives. Few  of  them  can  work.  Yet  everybody 
sees  that  they  need  occu^Dation,  an  occupation  suited 
to  their  condition,  and  that  this  can  best  be  furnished 
by  the  institution  in  which  they  have  their  home. 

The  first  among  German=speaking  people  to  draw 
attention  to  the  need  of  this  class  of  dependents  was 
Dr.  Guggenbuhl,  of  Switzerland,  a  man  who  made 
promises  of  which  few  were  fulfilled.  His  es- 
tablishment at  Abendberg,  near  Interlaken,  had  to 
be  given  up,  although  at  first  money  was  sent  to  him 
in  large  sums.  About  the  same  time.  Dr.  Seguin,  of 
Paris,  began  his  work  with  the  weak=minded.  His 
principle  was  that  instruction  is  better  then  attempts 
to  remove  the  cause  of  weakness,  or  efforts  to  repair 
the  weakened  body.  By  order  of  the  Government 
efforts  in  behalf  of  this  class  of  defectives  were  early 
made  at  Hubertsberg,  Saxony,  then  at  Ecksberg, 
Bavaria,  by  the  Roman  Catholic  pastor  Probst,  also 
at  Mariaberg  and  Stetten,  Wtirttemberg.  Pastor 
Lohe,  of  the  Lutheran  church,  did  something 
for  idiots  at  Neuendettelsau,  Bavaria,  but  it  was  not 
till  pastor  Julius  Disseldorf,  of  Kaiserswerth,  began 
to  send  out  his  writings  that  general  interest  in  the 
condition  of  idiots  was  aroused,  and  institutions  were 
opened  for  them  in  every  German  province.    There 


CARE  OF  THE  SICK  179 

are  now  forty  four  of  these  institutions  sustained  by 
the  money  which  Societies,  organized  for  the  purpose 
under  the  authority   of   the   Inner   Mission,  collect. 
In  most  of  these  institutions  epileptics  are  received, 
although  in  later  years  efiPorts  have  been  made  to  keep 
idiots  and  epileptics  apart.     Von  Bodelschwingh  has 
a  colony  of  the  latter  in  Bielefeld,  among  whom  both 
deacons   and  deaconesses   are   constantly  employed. 
Experience  has  shown  that  it  is  not  so  necessary  as  is 
sometimes  thought,  to  separate  idiots  and  epileptics. 
While  the  latter  are  not  infrequently  curable,  idiots 
never  are.     In  the  treatment  of  these  defectives,  cer- 
tain facts  have  been  made  clear.     The  establishment 
in  which  they  are  received  ought  to  be  large,  with 
many    divisions,     and    under   the   care   of   teachers 
trained  for  their  duties,  with  skilled  attendants  and 
physicians,  who  are  not  only  masters  in  their  profes- 
sions, but  whose  hearts  are  full  of  the  love  of  God. 
Bodily  care  is  of  the  first  importance.       School  in- 
struction of  the  simplest  kind  is  required.     In  giving 
this  instruction  women,  who  possess  tact  and  patience, 
are   more   successful   than   men.       There   are    some 
things  which  a  weak-minded  child  cannot  learn.     He 
cannot  be  made  to  understand  figures,  or  anything 
abstract.     Concrete   objects,  which   appeal   to   sight 
and  memory,  rather  than  to  intelligence,  excite  his 
interest.     Each  pupil  must  be  taught  separately,  and 
instructed    in    accordance    with     individual    needs. 
Where  work  has  been  introduced,  it  has  jiroved  one 
of  the  best  means   of   instruction.     In   a   few   cases, 
weak=minded  children  have  been  admitted  to  the  Pub- 
lic Schools,  where  they  have  their  own  rooms,  and 
are  taught  apart  from  the  other  pupils.     In  many  in- 


180  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

stances  the  feeble=minded  pupil  has  not  only  been 
prepared  for  confirmation  in  this  way,  but  rendered 
capable  of  self-support.  It  is  only  those  who  have 
given  attention  to  work  among  idiots  who  realize  what 
an  immense  improvement  has  been  made  in  their 
condition,  both  mentally  and  physically.  Though 
somewhat  slow  in  caring  for  them,  Christian  benevo- 
lence in  Germany  is  now  atoning  for  past  neglect. 

Till  within  a  comparatively  recent  period,  Germany 
paid  little  attention  to  the  demands  which  cripples, 
and  persons  with  mutilated  limbs,  justly  make  on 
thoughtful  benevolence.  A  deformed  or  crippled 
child,  when  sent  to  school  with  other  children,  is 
often  exposed  to  much  suffering  from  the  taunts  to 
which  it  has  often  to  submit  from  those  among  whom 
it  is  thrown.  Naturally  a  bitter  feeling  soon  springs 
uj)  in  the  heart.  The  little  one  thinks  that  God  has 
forsaken  him,  and  life  becomes  a  burden.  Pastor 
Knudson,  of  Denmark,  once  a  missionary  in  India, 
was  among  the  first  to  devote  himself  to  work  among 
cripples.  Since  1872,  he  has  been  able  to  render  life 
more  tolerable  for  at  least  1700  of  them.  He  roused 
Sweden  to  consider  the  needs  of  this  class  of  its  sub- 
jects, and  as  a  result  institutions  for  cripples  have 
sprung  up  throughout  that  country.  Since  1879 
there  has  been  an  institution  for  them  in  Stockholm, 
supported  by  a  special  society.  France  has  also  been 
interested  in  them,  but  for  many  years  the  only  in- 
stitution where  these  cripples  could  be  cared  for  in 
Germany,  was  at  Munich.  Its  ruling  spirit  was 
John  Nepomuck  Edler  von  Kurtz,  who  never  had 
less  than  a  hundred  under  his  care  at  any  one  time. 
Both  boys  and  girls  were  received.     The  Government 


'CARE  OF  THE  SICK  181 

of  Bavaria  finally  adopted  the  school.  In  1885,  the 
care  of  cripples  was  undertaken  in  Stammheim, 
Wtirttemberg,  in  Ludwigsberg,  in  Bielefeld,  and  at 
Nowawes,  near  Pottsdam,  where  large  numbers  of 
cripples  are  now  received  and  taught  to  work  as  they 
are  able.  Yet  the  field  is  far  from  fully  cultivated. 
Education,  according  to  the  rank  of  the  parents, 
religious  instruction,  and  technical  training  for  self- 
support,  are  the  main  objects  of  institutions  for 
cripples.  The  Societies  back  of  them  are  as  a  rule, 
well  sustained.  Some  Societies  aid  parents  to  care 
for  their  children  at  home.  They  furnish  a  missing 
limb,  the  needed  medical  advice,  and  not  infrequently 
persuade  parents  to  send  the  child  to  an  institution, 
where  the  protracted  care  called  for  may  be  fur- 
nished. The  right  kind  of  care,  given  at  the  right 
time,  often  renders  subsequent  life  endurable.  It  has 
been  proved  that  mental  development  must  not  be 
pushed  too  fast.  Neither  ought  the  pupil  to  under- 
take any  work  beyond  his  strength.  Experience  has 
shown  that  as  the  cases  to  be  cared  for  differ  widely 
from  each  other,  inventive  powers  of  a  high  order  are 
often  needed  by  the  instructor,  as  well  as  by  the 
physician  in  charge  of  the  institution.  The  aim  is 
to  do  the  best  that  can  be  done  for  the  cripple,  and 
as  the  days  of  miracles  are  passed,  no  parent  is  en- 
couraged to  look  for  a  complete  cure  for  his  child,  but 
only  for  improvement  in  his  condition,  and  for  the 
development  of  a  state  of  mind  which  will  bear  with 
patience  God's  appointments. 

There  are  a  great  many  bow-legged,  pale,  sicJdy, 
scrofulous  children  in  Germany.  They  are  met  with 
both  in  the  country  and  in  the  city,  though  they  are 


182  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

more  numerous  in  the  city,  than  in  the  country.  As 
the  causes  of  this  misfortune  are  living  in  cellars,  and 
under  the  roof  in  the  city,  miserable  care  or  total 
neglect  in  the  country,  and  insufficient  food  in  both 
city  and  country,  Vacation  Colonies,  as  well  as  salt  and 
sea  baths,  have  been  provided  for  these  pale  little 
sufferers.  Dr.  V/erner  began  his  benevolent  work  by 
founding  the  Bethesda,  in  Ludwigsburg.  Another 
institution  for  these  little  ones,  which  became  a 
model  for  many  others,  was  that  founded  near  Osna- 
bruck,  in  Rothenfelde.  In  these  establishments, 
where  bathing  is  constantly  employed,  the  children 
are  for  the  most  part  under  the  care  of  deaconesses. 
These  Vacation  Colonies  are  a  kind  of  rescue  for 
weak,  pining  children.  They  are  a  sort  of  children's 
summer  home.  The  children  who  suffer  most  are 
sent  to  the  establishments  where  the  best  care  is 
given.  Others  are  sent  to  private  families,  which 
receive  and  provide  for  them  at  a  slight  cost.  The 
time  allotted  for  this  outing  is  from  four  to  six  weeks. 
Care  is  taken  to  select  the  more  needy  jBrst.  For  the 
worst  cases,  several  periods  in  the  institution  are 
required,  in  order  to  restore  health.  The  manage- 
ment is  something  like  that  in  a  Hospital,  although 
efforts  are  made  to  give  the  children  a  jjleasant  time, 
to  furnish  them  some  needed  instruction,  and  to 
impress  their  minds  with  a  sense  of  their  dependence 
upon  God.  To  make  sound  healthy  children  out  of 
those  sent  to  these  institutions  is  a  problem  which 
the  teacher  or  the  attendant  is  expected  to  solve. 
The  results  of  this  form  of  benevolence  have  been  fully 
as  satisfactory  as  has  been  the  expenditure  of  fresh 
air  funds  in  America. 


CARE  OF  THE  SICK  183 

From  the  beginning  of  the  work  of  the  Inner  Mis- 
sion one  of  its  prime  objects  has  been  to  provide  for 
the  Bick;  especially  for  those  who  are  sick  in  a  Hospi 
tal.  Hospitals  have  grown  out  of  the  sense  of  respon- 
sibility which  thoughtful  Christians  feel  for  those 
who  cannot  care  for  themselves.  These  Hospitals 
have  proved  to  be  battle=^ fields  against  disease,  Uni- 
versities in  which  physicians  are  taught  and  trained. 
Sickness  in  itself,  as  has  often  been  said,  is  one  of 
God's  teachers.  Hence,  in  early  times,  Christian 
men  of  influence  and  wealth  began  to  provide  for  the 
care  of  the  sick.  At  first  the  responsibility  was  solely 
upon  the  Church,  as  a  whole;  later  on  it  rested  upon 
the  bishops.  Then  there  arose  benevolent  Orders,  as 
we  have  seen,  of  knights,  monks,  and  nuns,  whose 
members  devoted  themselves  to  the  care  of  the  sick. 
In  the  cloister,  or  attached  to  it,  an  Hospital  came 
into  existence.  After  the  Reformation,  the  care  of 
the  sick,  became  a  calling,  a  profession,  to  be  followed 
for  gain.  Hospital  masters  received  their  appoint- 
ments from  city  authorities.  When  the  places 
obtained  were  remunerative,  the  sick  were  neglected. 
Even  at  the  beginning  of  the  i^resent  century  the 
condition  of  Hospitals  in  Europe  was  very  bad.  In 
Germany,  improvement  in  their  condition  began  in 
1886,  with  the  revival  of  the  order  of  deaconesses. 
These  godly  women  gave  personal  attention  to  the 
sick.  They  called  public  attention  to  the  condition 
of  the  Hospitals.  The  wars  that  followed  made  the 
demands  of  the  sick  and  the  wounded  still  more  im- 
perative. Orders  were  formed  to  meet  these  demands. 
First  came  the  Evangelical  Order  of  St.  John,  an 
Order  formed  in  1852  under  the  auspices  of  Frederick 


184  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

William  IV.  In  1867,  the  Maltese  Order  was  formed 
by  tlie  Roman  Catholics.  Womens'  Societies  for 
aiding  the  sick  also  sprang  up  here  and  there.  Last 
of  all,  came  the  Society  of  the  Red  Cross,  whose  acti- 
vity and  special  work  are  chiefly  shown  on  the  battle- 
field. In  Germany,  the  four  systems  of  hospital 
erection  or  arrangement  are  as  follows:  viz.  the 
block,  pavilion,  corridor,  and  barrack  system.  No 
matter  what  system  is  employed  in  the  construction 
of  the  Hospital,  careful  provision  for  ventilation 
is  made  and  nothing  that  medical  science  can  sug- 
gest, is  overlooked.  Provision  for  the  Hospitals  is 
on  a  generous  scale.  This  is  due  to  the  influence 
of  such  nurses  as  deaconesses  and  brothers  have 
made,  and  to  the  public  interest  which  the  reports 
of  these  nurses  have  awakened. 

The  supreme  control  of  the  Hospital  is  in  the  hands 
of  physicians.  All  who  serve  in  the  Hospital  are 
required  to  follow  their  directions  implicitly,  The 
administrative  care,  ?.  e.  the  purely  business  part  of 
the  Hospital,  is  in  the  hands  of  an  officer  who  is  ap- 
pointed by  the  Committee  responsible  for  this  care. 
Where  the  Hospital  is  large,  a  chaplain  is  provided 
for  its  inmates.  He  conducts  morning  and  evening 
devotions,  asks  a  blessing  at  the  table,  arranges  for 
regular  Sunday  service,  and  embraces  every  favorable 
opportunity  for  friendly  and  Christian  conversation. 
His  position  is  one  of  great  delicacy  as  well  as  respon- 
sibility. It  is  through  him,  chiefly,  that  a  Christian 
atmosphere  is  introduced  into  the  Hospital.  Nothing 
like  proselyting  is  attempted,  or  allowed.  Efforts  are 
made,  however,  to  persuade  sick  and  dying  men  to 
believe  in  the  Saviour,  though   no  one  is  asked  or 


CARE  OF  THE  SICK  186 

expected  to  change  hia  religion.  In  the  Infirmaries, 
which  are  simpler  in  their  arrangement  and  less 
costly  than  Hospitals,  while  bodily  healing  is  sought, 
although  many  are  afflicted  with  incurable  diseases, 
spiritual  blessings  are  presented  as  special  objects  of 
desire.  All  this  is  due  directly  to  the  work  and  the 
influence  of  the  Inner  Mission. 

For  the  insane,  who  are  now  cared  for  generously 
and  wisely  by  the  Government,  private  benevolence 
furnishes  such  religious  influence  as  is  desirable.  As 
insanity  differs  so  greatly  in  its  manifestations  and  in 
its  nature,  great  skill  in  dealing  with  the  sufferers  is 
required.  Attendants  on  the  insane,  many  of  whom 
are  deaconesses  and  brothers,  (both  are  employed  at 
Kaiserswerth),  must  be  experts.  At  present  the  no= 
restraint  system  is  as  far  as  possible  followed.  In 
order  that  the  Asylum  may  appear  like  home,  a  min- 
ister Ls  often  employed  to  conduct  religious  service, 
even  when  personal  conversation  is  impracticable. 
When  insane  persons  are  brought  to  the  Asylum  early 
in  life,  or  immediately  after  the  signs  of  insanity 
appear,  it  is  affirmed  that  about  two4hirds  of  their 
number  are  curable. 

The  difference  between  the  care  which  German 
Christians,  and  Christians  in  America  or  Europe 
show  the  classes  above  mentioned,  may  not  in  reality 
be  very  great.  In  Germany  the  care  is  regular  and 
systematic,  and  it  is  the  object  of  definite,  continuous 
thought.  There  are  special  laborers  for  special 
classes  of  the  needy  or  the  suffering,  and  they  are 
trained  for  the  work  they  undertake.  This  work  is 
made  a  life-work,  not  something  to  be  taken  up  to-day 
and  laid  aside  to=morrow.     It  is  work  which  is  done 


186  CHRISTIAIJ  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

in  a  Christian  spirit,  with  a  Christian  aim,  and  in  the 
conviction  that  it  constitutes  a  calling  in  life  for 
which  God  Himself  has  fitted  those  who  enter  upon  it. 
Though  voluntary,  yet  the  Church  regards  this  work 
of  its  members  as  a  part  of  the  duty  she  owes  her 
fellow^men,  and  through  gifts  regularly  made  and 
officially  sanctioned,  she  provides  for  it. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

SAVING  THE  LOST. 

While  the  chief  aim  of  the  managers  of  the  Inner 
Mission  is  to  prevent  people  from  falling  into  temp- 
tation, or  yielding  to  it,  and  thus  being  lost,  they  are 
by  no  means  indifferent  to  the  duty  of  trying  to 
rescue  those  who  are  looked  upon  as  lost.  No  part 
of  this  work  is  more  difficult  than  the  contest  against 
Prostitution.  Only  those  who  have  given  attention 
to  this  matter  can  have  any  idea  of  the  extent  of  the 
difficulties  to  be  overcome.  In  Berlin  alone,  the 
police  estimate  the  number  of  those  who  make  gain 
out  of  their  bodies  at  nearly  30,000,  others  50,000. 
Not  only  are  those  who  thus  prostitute  themselves 
ruined,  morally  and  spiritually;  those  also  are  ruined 
who  by  their  patronage  make  this  kind  of  life  possible 
and  profitable.  A  standing  Army  renders  the  contest 
against  the  evil  more  difficult.  Nor  is  the  presence 
of  students  in  the  University  towns  any  aid  to  those 
engaged  in  it.  Although  open  solicitation  is  not 
allowed,  the  portion  of  the  city  where  vile  women 
congregate  is  well  knov/n  and  easily  found.  It  is 
needless  to  add  that  the  trade  which  grows  out  of 
Prostitution  is  one  of  immense  pecuniary  profit. 
Hardened  men  and  depraved  women  are  constantly 
on  the  lookout  for  ignorant  and  innocent  girls,  to  take 
the  place  of  those  who  drop  out  of  the  ranks  of  this 
sinful  army.    A  few  drift  into  it  almost  naturally. 

187 


188  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Impure  thoughts,  unclean  conversation,  the  dance  in 
the  country  tavern,  with  its  opportunities  for  sins  of 
the  flesh,  the  friendly  soldier  M^ho  makes  love  to  the 
servant  girl,  and  under  j)romise  of  marriage  leads  her 
from  the  paths  of  virtue  and  then  leaves  her  to  bear 
the  burden  of  her  shame  alone,  are  suggestive  of  some 
of  the  causes  which  contribute  to  the  permanent 
downfall  of  vast  numbers.  The  thoughtless  or  help- 
less country  girl  who  goes  to  the  great  city  to  seek 
her  fortune,  in  entire  ignorance  of  the  pitfalls  which 
lie  open  on  every  hand,  the  factory  girl,  and  the 
seamstress  whose  scant  wages  hardly  sustain  life, 
often  become  an  easy  prey  to  those  who  are  con- 
stantly seeking  whom  they  may  devour.  To  their 
shame  be  it  said,  there  are  parents  who  rear  daughters 
for  this  kind  of  life,  and  are  impatient  till  they  are 
old  enough,  through  their  sacrifice  on  this  altar  of 
infamy,  to  add  to  the  income  of  the  family.  If  the 
old  Germans  were  famous  for  their  chastity,  this  is 
not  true  of  all  their  descendents.  In  every  city  per- 
haps without  an  exception,  this  great  moral  swamp 
exists.  The  efforts  made  to  remove  it  at  the  time  of 
the  Reformation,  have  in  these  later  times  been 
earnestly  renewed.  The  deadly  miasma  arising  from 
it  is  more  destructive  than  the  raging  of  an  epidemic, 
the  dreaded  presence  of  cholera,  or  even  of  war. 

As  in  so  much  else  which  has  elevated  the  moral 
standards  of  society,  and  encouraged  Christians  to 
lift  them  higher  and  still  higher,  Fliedner  led  the 
way  in  the  crusade  against  Prostitution.  To  him,  so 
early  as  1833,  the  first  penitent  Magdalen  came  for 
shelter.  Another  and  another  followed  in  her  steps. 
Soon  his  garden  house  was  exchanged  for  an  asylum, 


SAVING  THE  LOST  189 

till  in  city  after  city  Magdaleniums  sprang  up.  Of 
these  there  are  at  present  in  the  whole  of  Germany, 
more  than  twenty.  They  are  well  arranged,  and  their 
influence  has  been  extremely  helpful.  In  more  than 
half  their  number,  deaconesses  reside,  and  in  this 
work,  as  in  all  else  in  which  they  engage,  they  have 
proved  themselves  ministering  angels. 

In  1848  and  thereafter.  Pastor  Heldring,  of  Hol- 
land, lifted  up  a  battle=cry  against  the  evil.  His 
trumpet=call  was  heard  even  in  Germany.  His 
Asylum  at  Steenbeck,  opened  in  1848,  became  a 
model  for  other  Asylums  having  a  similar  purpose  in 
view.  Superintendent  Bastian,  in  Bernberg,  Pastor 
G.  Schlosser,  in  Frankfort  on  the  Main,  and  Gen- 
eral Superintendent  Baur,  are  regarded  as  leaders  in 
this  effort  to  rescue  the  fallen. 

The  Asylum  must  be  in  a  city,  easy  of  access, 
friendly  in  appearance,  and  sympathetic  in  its  atmos- 
phere. It  must  bear  no  resemblance  to  a  prison.  Its 
doors  must  stand  open  to  receive  and  dismiss.  No 
other  compulsion  than  that  which  comes  from  a 
Christian  life  and  a  Christian  heart  may  be  exer- 
cised. It  is  nevertheless  possible  to  use  wise  meth- 
ods to  encourage  those  who  visit  the  Asylum  to  walk 
in  the  paths  of  virtue.  The  family  idea  must  be 
made  prominent  in  the  establishment.  Those  who 
enter  are  to  be  made  at  home  at  once.  They  have 
entire  freedom;  they  are  under  no  surveillance. 
Younger  women  are  kept  from  those  who  seem  bent 
on  continuing  the  life  they  have  begun.  Those  who 
fly  to  this  place  of  refuge  are  enrolled  as  regular  in- 
mates only  after  a  period  of  probation  which  tests 
the  sincerity  of  their  desire  to  reform.     It  has  been 


190  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

found  wise  to  have  the  Magdalenium  near  some  other 
benevolent  institution,  and  to  have  it  so  situated  as 
to  furnish  sufficient  work  for  the  support  of  the  in- 
mates. While  all  are  received  without  cost  to  them- 
selves, they  are  at  once  taught  to  work,  and  encour- 
aged to  do  that  which  they  can  do  the  best.  Few 
are  found  previously  accustomed  to  work  of  any  kind, 
and  this,  doubtless,  is  one  of  the  causes  of  their  failure 
in  life.  Most  of  these  girls  provide  for  themselves, 
while  in  the  Asylum,  by  taking  in  washing.  Some  go 
into  the  kitchen  of  the  establishment.  Others  labor 
in  fields  or  gardens.  Some  do  fine  sewing.  All  are 
industrious.  On  an  average,  a  stay  of  two  years  is 
required  of  every  inmate.  The  lust  which  causes 
crime  must  be  rooted  out,  and  a  firm  principle  intro- 
duced into  the  heart  to  take  its  place  and  fortify 
against  further  transgression. 

Each  Home  is  furnished  with  corridors,  in  which 
there  are  separate  beds  for  each  girl.  These  are  sep- 
arated from  each  other  by  partitions.  In  each  of 
these  corridors  a  deaconess,  or  a  trusted  woman. 
Bleeps,  and  acts  as  a  kind  of  overseer  and  friend. 
Over  the  whole  establishnent  is  the  House-mother. 
When  possible  she  is  a  deaconess,  who  has  been 
trained  for  the  kind  of  service  the  place  she  fills  re- 
quires. In  addition  to  piety  of  the  truest  kind,  she 
has  need  of  great  wisdom,  and  a  patience  which 
nothing  can  exhaust.  It  is  hard  not  to  resort  at 
times  to  something  like  force  in  keeping  the  girls  from 
returning  to  their  lives  of  sin.  The  feelings  which 
these  girls  manifest,  after  remaining  for  a  time  in  the 
asylum,  are  very  puzzling.  Nearly  all  are  intensely 
nervous.     Tears   and  outbursts  of  anger,  physicians 


SAVING  THE  LOST  191 

say,  are  from  the  same  source.  Nothing  but  a 
motherly,  Christian  heart  can  endure  the  trials  which 
dealing  with  these  unfortunate  women  imposes. 

It  is  often  a  matter  of  great  difficulty  to  persuade 
even  penitent  Magdalens  to  enter  these  asylums. 
There  is  a  prejudice  against  them.  Midnight  meet- 
ings are  held  to  attract  those  who,  having  entered 
upon  this  life  of  prostitution,  are  awakening  to  its 
horrors,  and  desire  to  leave  it.  Christian  women, 
deaconesses  employed  as  parish  visitors,  and  others 
whose  duties  bring  them  into  contact  with  prostitutes 
in  the  hospitals,  especially  in  the  Charit6  at  Berlin, 
are  on  the  lookout  for  such  as  may  be  saved. 

There  is  at  least  one  place  in  Germany  where 
parents  can  take  daughters  who  have  vicious  inclina- 
tions. Since  1873  there  has  been  a  home  at  Bonn  to 
which  girls  who  have  borne  an  illegitimate  child  may 
come  from  the  lying-in  hospital,  and  be  helped  to 
overcome  the  disgrace  attached  to  it.  There  are 
places,  also,  for  girls  too  old  for  the  Keform  School, 
and  not  old  or  hardened  enough  for  these  Asylums. 
But  all  who  have  had  anything  to  do  with  the 
problem  of  saving  this  class  of  the  morally  lost  unite 
in  testifying  to  its  extreme  difficulty,  as  well  as  to  its 
terribly  destructive  influences  upon  all  branches  of 
society.  The  vice  in  England,  save  in  a  few  sea- 
ports, is  left  to  regulate  itself.  In  Belgium,  Holland, 
Denmark,  and  France,  it  is  regulated  by  law.  In 
Germany  it  is  endured,  with  no  other  attempts  to 
suppress  it  than  to  keep  it  out  of  sight,  and  by 
Christian  effort  to  pluck  now  and  then  a  brand  from 
the  burning. 

Hitherto  Germany  has  suffered  less  from  the  evils 


192  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

of  Drunkenness  than  most  other  countries.  Drunk- 
enness is  a  growing  evil.  Germans  seem  to  take 
more  naturally  to  the  stronger  drinks  than  the  wine- 
loving  populations  of  Latin  countries.  Through 
the  use  of  Brantwein  and  Schnapps,  the  health  of 
many  has  been  undermined.  Habits  have,  in  addi- 
tion, been  formed  which  are  fatal  to  prosperity  and 
happiness.  Toward  the  end  of  the  thirties,  the  tem- 
j)erance  movement  in  England  and  America  began  to 
make  itself  felt  in  Germany.  Frederick  William  III. 
sent  for  Robert  Baird  of  the  United  States,  famous 
as  an  advocate  of  temperance,  and  caused  his  book 
to  be  translated  and  circulated  among  his  subjects. 
Pastors  and  government  officials  took  hold  of  the 
matter  at  once  and  made  temperance  reform  popular. 
Improvement  in  public  morals  ere  long  showed  itself. 
In  1845  eighty^four  distilleries  failed  for  lack  of  pa- 
tronage. Two  hundred  and  six  reported  little  busi- 
ness. In  Hannover,  half  the  Brantwein  tax  fell 
off.  In  Saxony,  the  use  of  strong  drinks  diminished 
with  equal  rapidity.  But  the  excitements  of  the 
year  1848  seemed  to  undo  all  that  had  been  accom- 
plished for  temperance.  Huber  and  Wichern  did 
their  best  to  withstand  the  growing  tendency  to 
drink,  and  they  had  many  earnest  fellow=workers. 
Since  1877,  there  has  been  a  Temperance  Society  in 
Geneva,  with  numerous  branches  in  Germany. 
Efforts,  too,  are  made,  more  commonly  than  formerly, 
to  persuade  men  to  abstain  even  from  moderate  drink- 
ing, not  because  it  is  a  sin,  but  because  of  its  example, 
and  dangerous  tendencies.  In  various  ways,  and  in 
almost  all  classes,  efforts  are  put  forth  to  destroy  the 
power  of  intemperance.     Since  1884,  a  Total  Absti- 


SAVING  THE  LOST  198 

nence  Society  has  shown  no  little  earnestness  in  com- 
batting the  evil,  and  through  the  influence  of  some 
very  prominent  men,  including  University  professors, 
its  supporters  are  increasing.  But  the  drink=habit, 
fostered  no  doubt  by  the  universal  use  of  beer  among 
the  lower  classes,  and  of  wine  among  the  upper 
classes,  and  the  prevalence  of  the  feeling  that  it  is 
foolish  to  give  up  one's  liberty  and  refuse  to  drink 
moderately,  render  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  push 
temperance  work  with  the  success  attainable  in  Eng- 
lish-speaking countries.  Yet  there  are  those  who 
devote  their  lives  to  efforts  to  persuade  men  to  give 
up  these  drinking  habits,  and  the  testimony  which 
many  of  them  furnish  as  to  the  blessings  of  total 
abstinence,  is  encouraging.  In  the  seven  or  eight 
of  the  Asylums  connected  with  the  Inner  Mission, 
the  methods  pursued,  after  making  due  allowance 
for  diversity  of  custom,  do  not  differ  greatly  from 
those  pursued  in  our  own  country.  Of  the  Keeley 
Cure,  little  use  has,  as  yet,  been  made.  Christian 
physicians  feel,  as  is  felt  with  us,  that  a  new  life  is 
the  only  sure  defence  against  the  drinking  habit. 

The  Asylums  to  which  the  unfortunate  victims  of 
drink  are  brought  are  so  arranged  as  to  seem  home- 
like. Christian  influences  are  brought  to  bear  on  the 
sufferer.  Prayer,  morning  and  evening,  with  a  bless- 
ing asked  before  every  meal,  is  a  feature  of  these  asy- 
lums. Sunday  services  are  provided  for  their 
inmates.  Assistants  are  responsible  not  only  for  the 
care  which  the  body  needs,  but  for  that  also  which 
(he  mind  requires.  Quack  medicines  are  not  allowed. 
A  stay  of  two  years  is  thought  necessary  for  a  perfect 
cure.      Moderate   drinking  is   not  favored.      When 


191  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

habits  are  fixed,  the  patient  is  encouraged  to  go  out 
again  into  the  world,  but  is  advised  to  surround  him- 
self,  as  far  as  possible,  with  associates  who  will  not 
lead  him  into  temptation.  As  in  the  case  of  those 
who  are  sent  out  from  the  Magdaleniums,  a  certain 
oversight  from  the  Asylum  follows  the  so-called 
reformed  men.  They  are  allowed  to  return  to  these 
Asylums  as  often  as  they  please  for  advice  and  help. 
Coffee  houses  are  favored.  Societies,  also,  whose 
object  is  to  inform  the  public  as  to  the  evils  and  dan- 
gers of  drunkenness,  and  to  create  a  sentiment  in 
favor  of  total  abstinence,  or  at  least  of  temperance, 
are  formed.  Legislation  to  a  certain  extent  is 
favored.  Instruction  in  the  public  schools  as  to  the 
effect  of  the  use  of  alcoholic  drinks  on  the  body,  sim- 
ilar to  that  given  in  our  own  public  schools,  is  greatly 
to  be  desired.  Many  public  men,  including  the 
Emperor,  are  alive  to  the  dangers  which  threaten 
society  from  the  growing  use  of  intoxicants.  There 
is  hope  that  ere  long  temperance  crusades  will  be 
carried  on  throughout  the  whole  country. 

Of  those  who  are  without  work,  there  are  two  great 
classes:  those  who  are  afraid  of  work,  would  not  take 
it  if  it  were  offered,  and  those  who  really  desire  it, 
but  cannot  obtain  it.  The  two  classes  may  be  char- 
acterized as  the  helpless  and  the  vicious.  It  is  not 
always  an  easy  task  to  discriminate  between  worthy 
and  unworthy  aj)plicants  for  aid.  The  latter  often 
seem  to  have  the  best  claim  on  charity.  They  can 
tell  the  best  story,  and  their  recommendatory 
papers  are  often  excellent.  But  the  requirement 
to  earn  what  they  receive  before  they  receive  any- 
thing has  been  found  a  pretty  good  test.     There 


SAVING  THE  LOST  195 

are  many  establishments  where  a  roofless  wan- 
derer may  spend  the  night.  In  wood==  yards  near 
by,  one  may  earn  one's  food.  A  list  of  places 
where  work  is  wanted  is  also  kept  by  the  managers 
of  these  establishments,  and  often  by  the  police,  to 
whom  a  tramp  may  appeal,  if  he  can  appeal  nowhere 
else.  To  these  places  the  wanderer  is  directed. 
Many,  perhaps  most,  of  the  places  for  shelter  are  un- 
der the  supervision  of  the  police.  They  soon  dis- 
cover the  character  of  those  who  frequent  them. 
These  lodgifig-hoiises  are  for  the  convenience  of 
those  who  travel  from  place  to  place  in  search  of 
work.  A  paper,  signed  by  the  keeper,  testifies  to  the 
fact  that  use  has  been  made  of  the  shelter  ofPered, 
and  adds  such  further  statements  as  the  condition  of 
the  person  seems  to  call  for.  While  these  stations 
often  furnish  opportunities  for  weeding  out  the 
vicious  and  providing  for  the  worthy,  scheming  indi- 
viduals or  professional  beggars  sometimes  take  advan- 
tage of  them,  and  secure  recommendations  which 
they  by  no  means  deserve.  Laziness  is  not  unknown 
among  those  who  travel  over  the  country,  professedly 
in  search  of  employment.  A  law,  strictly  enforced, 
prevents  begging  at  the  door.  The  person  who  gives, 
as  well  as  the  person  who  receives,  if  the  latter  can 
be  caught,  is  punished.  Those  put  in  charge  of 
these  night=shelters,  and  other  establishments  for  the 
aid  of  those  out  of  work,  are  chosen  for  their  ability 
to  minister  to  the  needs  of  those  with  whom  they 
are  thrown  in  contact.  It  is  not  enough  to  furnish 
employment  for  a  day;  it  must  be  steadily  furnished, 
and  those  receiving  it  encouraged  to  continue  in  it 
till  they  become  self-sustaining,  rex^utable  citizens. 


196  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

There  are  some  who  have  not  the  physical  strengtl" 
to  work  all  the  while;  others  have  no  ability  them, 
selves  to  secure  work,  or  to  keep  it  without  aid,  when 
they  have  it.  To  provide  for  200,000  unemployed 
men  (in  the  seventies  there  were  said  to  be  this  num- 
ber), is  a  matter  of  no  small  difficulty.  Hence  the 
Homes  for  Working  Men  (Arbeitercolonien),  which 
to  the  number  of  several  hundreds  have  sprung  up 
within  the  last  twenty  or  thirty  years  in  different 
parts  of  the  Empire.  These  Homes  are  industrial 
establishments  where  various  trades  are  carried  on 
under  the  oversight  of  competent  persons.  The  pro- 
duct is  sold  at  the  market  price,  the  money  obtained 
going  to  the  support  of  the  Home.  Those  who  apply 
for  admission  are  not  the  vicious,  the  lazy,  or  the 
wretchedly  poor,  but  those  who  are  really  anxious  to 
earn  their  own  living,  but  who  for  some  reason  are 
unable  to  find  an  opportunity  to  do  so.  They  are 
often  discouraged  men.  All  who  are  received,  are 
received  with  a  warm  welcome.  Food  and  comforta- 
ble lodging  are  furnished.  Work,  of  the  kind  to 
which  applicants  are  accustomed,  is  provided.  They 
are  aided  to  get  a  job  outside  if  possible.  In  entering 
the  Home  the  applicant  promises  obedience  to  its 
rules.  There  are  certain  light  punishments  for  diso- 
bedience, while  the  extreme  penalty  is  dismissal.  A 
few  of  these  Homes  are  sustained  by  grants  from  the 
Government,  and  a  few  are  cared  for  by  Roman 
Catholics.  Most  of  them  are  under  the  care  of  Pro- 
testants, who  have  formed  Societies  which  gather 
money  to  meet  the  deficiency  which  often  shows 
itself  in  their  income.  These  Homes  are  managed  by 
a  large  Committee,  which    appoints  from  its  mem- 


SAVING  THE  LOST  197 

bers  a  sub=comniittee,  which  selects  the  responsible 
head  for  each  Home,  A  pastor  is  generally  attached 
to  the  Home.  The  person  who  looks  after  its  eco- 
nomic needs  must  be  a  man  trained  to  this  kind  of 
work,  a  brother,  if  possible;  at  any  rate  a  man  who 
will  be  a  brother  to  those  who  come  under  its  shel- 
tering roof.  While  no  attempts  are  made  to  force 
the  inmates  to  be  religious,  as  in  all  other  institu- 
tions with  which  members  of  the  National  Church 
have  to  do,  a  religious  spirit  jjervades  the  Home. 
By  influences  silently  exerted,  men  are  influenced  to 
look  with  favor  upon  the  principles  and  institutions 
of  Christianity.  Men  are  allov»'ed  to  remain  in  these 
Homes  as  long  as  may  be  necessary.  The  aim  is  to 
re-establish  in  the  minds  of  those  who  are  discour- 
aged, not  only  a  desire  to  obtain  regular  and  self= 
supporting  occupation,  but  to  convince  them  that 
they  can  again  take  their  places  in  society,  as  self= 
respecting,  self-sustaining  citizens. 

These  Homes,  which  seem  to  owe  their  origin  for 
the  present  generation  to  Pastor  von  Bodelschwingh, 
of  Bielefeld,  are  pretty  widely  scattered  over  the 
German  Provinces.  They  can  receive  from  less  than 
a  hundred  each,  up  to  nearly  three  hundred  appli- 
cants. As  men  are  coming  and  going  every  day,  it 
will  easily  be  seen  how  large  a  place  they  flll  in  a 
Christian  system  of  benevolence. 

In  the  care  of  p7w'so??s  and  their  inmates,  the  same 
difiiculties  have  been  met  with  in  Germany  as  in  other 
countries.  The  impulse  toward  improvement  in  pris- 
on discipline  came  from  John  Howard,  of  England, 
who  died  in  1790,  and  Elizabeth  Fry  (English)  who 
died  in  1845.  Fliedner  began  his  work  in  the  prison  at 


198  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Diisseldorf  as  early  as  1826,  and  learned  from  the  pris- 
oners,  whom  he  regularly  visited,  something  of  the 
needs  of  society  at  large.  For  more  than  fifty  years, 
prison  discipline  has  aimed  at  reform  as  well  as  i)un- 
ishment.  Formerly  it  did  not  look  beyond  the  inflic- 
tion of  penalty.  Before  Fliedner's  day  prisoners  of  all 
ages  and  degrees  of  criminality  were  thrown  together. 
Women  are  now  no  longer  confined  in  the  same  prison 
with  men.  Thanks  to  the  influence  of  the  Church  there 
has  been  improvement  in  the  j^risons  themselves,  in 
their  sanitary  condition,  in  their  management,  and  in 
the  treatment  of  prisoners.  In  these  matters,  the 
great  and  the  noble,  and  even  crowned  heads,  have  in- 
terested themselves.  Oscar  I.,  of  Sweden,  who  died  in 
1859,  wrote  a  book  on  prison  management,  and  his 
successor  has  not  been  unmindful  of  his  duty  toward 
those  who  are  in  prison.  Frederick  William  IV.  se- 
cured the  passage  of  a  law  providing  for  solitary  con- 
finement. At  first  the  law  was  absolute,  but  later  it 
was  modified  to  suit  the  needs  of  all  classes  of  crim- 
inals. At  the  present  time  not  only  the  chaplain  and 
the  oflBcers  of  the  prison  visit  the  criminal  in  his  cell, 
but  friends  are  permitted  also  to  visit  him.  Here  he 
works,  eats  and  sleeps.  If  he  is  taken  out  for  air  or 
exercise,  he  wears  a  mask  over  his  face,  so  that  fel- 
low=prisoners  may  not  recognize  him.  In  the  House 
of  Correction  at  Plotzensee,  near  Berlin,  in  which 
about  1800  persons  are  confined,  those  who  occupy 
separate  cells  wear  their  masks  when  they  leave  their 
rooms  for  the  boxes  provided  for  them  during  school 
hours,  and  during  the  hours  of  service  on  Sunday. 
Here  the  teacher  and  the  pastor  can  see  them,  but 
they  cannot  see  each  other.     It  is  the  worst  and  the 


SAVING  THE  LOST  199 

best  of  the  criminals  who  are  thus  separated;  the  worst 
that  their  influence  for  evil  may  not  be  exercised  on 
those  who  are  not  yet  completely  hardened,  the  best 
that  they  may  not  learn  more  evil  than  they  now 
know.  According  to  the  report  of  this  prison,  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  per  cent,  of  its  inmates  lead  good 
lives  after  serving  out  their  term  of  confinement. 
This  is  due  to  the  salutary  moral  and  Christian  in- 
fluence brought  to  bear  upon  them. 

There  are  several  Societies  which  look  after  the  in- 
terests of  prisoners  and  study  the  conditions  under 
which  they  are  confined.  One  of  the  oldest,  as  it  is 
one  of  the  best,  is  the  Rhenish='Westphalia  Society, 
founded  by  Fliedner  in  1826.  For  service  among 
women,  deaconesses  are  most  sought  for;  for  work 
among  men,  in  addition  to  a  chaplain,  brothers  and 
teachers  are  needed  who  will  be  in  hearty  sympathy 
with  the  men,  and  do  everything  in  their  power  to 
encourage  them  to  begin  a  new  life. 

All  Christian  work,  even  if  done  by  persons  ap- 
proved by  the  Church,  is  done  under  the  eye  of  the 
prison  officers.  Guarantees  as  to  the  fitness  of  visi- 
tors to  have  access  to  prisoners  must  be  furnished  by 
the  Societies  or  Christian  bodies  they  represent.  Up 
to  this  time,  probably  not  more  than  one  hundred 
deacons  and  deaconesses  are  engaged  in  regularly 
visiting  the  prisons.  Not  all  prisons  grant  this  liber- 
ty of  visitation  even  under  restrictions.  But  every- 
where efforts  are  ]put  forth  to  save  the  prisoner,  and 
unless  he  is  a  hardened  criminal,  with  a  lifelong  sen- 
tence, or  a  sentence  of  death  hanging  over  him,  the 
hope  is  cherished  that  he  may  yet  be  saved  for 
society. 


200  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

The  hardest  and  best  work  iov prisoners  is  done  after 
their  sentence  has  been  served.  For  some  the  penalty 
is  only  a  fine,  with  a  few  days'confinement.  Others 
pay  a  fine  and  spend  years  within  prison  Avails. 
Others  again  are  confined  for  a  period  varying  from 
a  single  day  to  five  or  even  fifteen  years.  Those  who 
have  been  under  the  influence  of  Army  Officers,  for 
whom  x)laces  have  been  made  as  prison^keeiDcrs,  are 
not  so  likely  to  leave  their  place  of  confinement  im- 
j)roved  in  their  morals,  as  those  who  have  been  under 
the  care  of  men  who  have  made  the  care  of  prisons  a 
study  and  a  profession.  Hence  the  need  for  Socie- 
ties to  look  after  dismissed  prisoners,  to  give  them  a 
welcoming  hand,  an  encouraging  word,  and  to  pro- 
vide a  shelter  where  they  will  not  be  immediately 
brought  into  temptation  which  they  will  hardly  be 
able  to  resist.  The  prisoner  must  be  encouraged  to 
cherish  hope  for  the  future.  His  family,  if  he  has 
one,  should  be  urged  to  receive  him  cordially  and  aid 
him  in  his  efforts  to  lead  a  reputable  life.  Work 
should  be  obtained  for  him,  in  the  place  where  he 
formerly  resided  if  temptations  there  are  not  too 
great;  if  they  are,  then  among  strangers.  The  mem- 
bers of  this  Society  for  the  reclamation  of  the  dis- 
missed prisoner  watch  over  him  till  he  is  again  fairly 
on  his  feet.  It  is  however  by  no  means  easy  to  get 
these  men  on  their  feet.  Society,  as  a  whole,  is 
against  them.  Members  of  their  own  households  are 
against  them.  The  iron=hearted  legality  of  the  State 
is  against  them.  The  lack  of  real  benevolence  on  the 
part  of  those  who  profess  to  love  the  Master,  and  who 
sometimes  seek  to  aid  them,  is  against  them.  The 
natural  sinfulness  and  perversity  of  the  human  heart 


SAVING  THE  LOST  201 

are  also  against  them.  The  chief  effort,  there- 
fore, from  the  moment  when  the  Christian  min- 
ister or  teacher  comes  into  contact  with  the  prisoner, 
during  the  years  of  his  confinement  till  he  receives 
his  liberty,  must  be  directed  to  persuading  him  to  be- 
come a  Christian.  Those  who  would  save  him  when 
dismissed  from  prison  must  also  make  it  clear  to  him 
that  it  is  only  with  Christ's  help  that  he  can  become 
a  new  man  and  pass  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  a 
useful  and  honorable  career.  More  necessary  than 
efforts  to  convert  the  prisoner  are  efforts  to  prevent 
his  becoming  again  a  transgressor,  and  thus  falling 
once  more  into  the  hard  hand  of  the  State. 

Enough  has  been  said  to  show  that  the  least  en- 
couraging of  the  fields  which  come  under  the  care  of 
the  Inner  Mission,  are  those  in  which  attempts  are 
made,  without  weariness  or  impatience,  to  recover  the 
lost.  The  fact  that  society  looks  upon  the  fall- 
en woman,  the  drunkard,  the  thriftless  wage-earner, 
the  beggar,  and  the  released  prisoner,  as  pests,  with- 
out hope  either  for  this  life  or  the  next,  adds  to  the 
enormous  difficulty  of  rescuing  them.  Nothing  short 
of  the  grace  of  God  can  create  within  the  breasts  of 
these  unfortunate  f)eople  a  feeling  of  self-respect,  a 
desire  to  try  to  regain  the  position  among  their  fellow 
creatures  which  they  have  lost,  or  impart  to  them  the 
courage  to  try  to  regain  it.  Yet  in  spite  of  all  draw- 
backs Christian  benevolence  feels  that  the  results  even 
among  such  as  these,  are  a  sufficient  reward  for  all 
the  cost,  and  that  the  methods  here  described  must 
be  followed  as  long  as  they  are  needed. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  CIRCULATION  OF  CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE. 

One  of  the  v/ays  in  which  efforts  are  made  to  in- 
struct the  peox^le  in  a  knowledge  of  themselves,  c*f 
God,  and  their  relations  to  Him,  is  by  the  careful  and 
systematic  circulation  of  the  Scriptures.  Early  in 
the  history  of  German  Protestantism  the  circulation 
of  the  Scriptures  became  general.  In  the  Public 
Schools  their  use  was  compulsory,  yet  at  first  the 
Bible  was  neither  universally  nor  intelligently  read. 
It  was  Luther  who  awakened  an  interest  in  Bible^ 
reading  among  the  masses.  This  was  accomx)lished 
by  his  masterly  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the 
language  of  the  i^eople,  and  by  the  emphasis  he 
placed  on  the  doctrine  of  salvation  through  faith 
rather  than  through  works.  His  doctrine  of  justifica- 
tion by  faith  alone  was  a  key  to  the  understanding  of 
the  meaning  of  the  Scriptures  which  the  people  were 
not  slow  to  use.  Pietism  added  greatly  to  the  circu- 
lation of  the  Word  of  God.  It  was  Baron  von  Cans- 
tein,  a  friend  of  Francke,  who  founded  at  Halle,  in 
1712,  the  Canstein  Bible  Society,  the  first  of  its  kind 
in  Germany  and  in  some  respects  the  model  Society  of 
the  country.  A  hundred  years  later,  the  Stuttgart 
Bible  Society  was  formed,  and,  in  1814,  at  Berlin  the 
Prussian  Society.  These  were  followed  by  other  So- 
cieties, until  now  there  are  twenty^six  organizations 
in  the  German  Empire  devoted  to  the  circulation  of  the 

202 


,   CIRCXJLATWN  OF  CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE         203 

Scriptures.  The  impulse  favorable  to  tliis  movement 
may  have  had  its  origin  in  the  formation  and  work  of 
the  London  Bible  Society,  which  came  into  existence 
in  1804.  Roman  Catholics  have  not  favored  the  cir- 
culation of  the  Scriptures  among  the  people,  although 
a  translation  has  been  made,  which  has  received  the 
approval  of  the  Bishops,  and  under  certain  conditions 
may  be  put  into  the  hands  of  those  who  desire  to  read 
it.  In  the  editions  in  common  use  the  Apocrypha  is 
bound  up  with  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  but  with 
the  understanding,  that  while  it  is  good  for  reading, 
it  has  no  authority  as  the  insiDired  Word  of  God. 
The  Bible  is  printed,  as  in  America,  without  note  or 
comment,  save  that,  in  some  editions,  maps  have  been 
inserted,  together  with  a  preface,  and  a  glossary  of 
difRcult  words.  A  few  commentaries  for  the  use  of  the 
peoj)le  have  met  with  a  large  sale.  For  many 
years,  those  having  the  welfare  of  the  German 
Church  at  heart  have  sought  to  introduce  a  new,  or  at 
least  a  revised,  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  pub- 
lic worship.  Partial  success  only  has  attended  these 
efforts,  the  people  clinging  almost  superstitiously  to 
Luther's  Bible.  The  difficulties  in  the  way  of  secur- 
ing a  new  translation  were  far  greater  than  in  England. 
One  has,  however,  been  made  under  the  direction  of 
pastor  Monckeberg,  of  Hamburg,  which  the  Can- 
stein  Society  has  published.  This  translation  has 
received  the  approval  of  all  the  Provincial  Churches, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Church  of  Mecklenberg.  It 
is  probable  that  ere  long  the  so=called  Probe  (proof) 
Bible  will  come  into  general  use.  Translations  made 
by  scholars  such  as  Weizsacker,  (the  N.  T.  only), 
and  other  prominent  Bible  students,  find  ready  sale, 


204  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

and  are  doing  a  great  deal  to  quicken  interest  in 
Bible  reading. 

The  larger  Societies  employ  special  agents  and  send 
out  their  Bibles  from  central  stations,  as  well  as  from 
branch  stations,  in  difPerent  sections  of  the  country. 
As  far  as  possible  these  Bibles  are  sold  at  a  price 
sufficient  to  meet  the  cost.  Free  distribution, 
though  not  uncommon,  is  less  general  than  in  Ameri- 
ca. Pastors,  school  teachers,  and  other  friends  of 
the  Bible  are  expected  to  aid  in  its  circulation,  as 
well  as  in  its  intelligent  use.  While  colporteurs  are 
employed  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  to  ijicrease 
sales,  and  to  aid  in  the  better  understanding  of  the 
Bible,  the  chief  reliance  for  increased  knowledge  of 
the  Scriptures  and  greater  love  for  them,  is  upon 
their  larger  use  in  the  public  services  of  the  Churches, 
the  establishment  of  Sunday-schools,  of  Young  People's 
Societies,  and  Societies  for  Reading  the  Bible,  and  of 
pastor's  classes  for  its  devotional  and  critical  study. 
Societies  of  women  who  read  the  Bible  according  to 
a  different  plan,  year  by  year,  are  not  unknown.  In 
spite  of  the  criticism  of  rationalizing  scholarship, 
the  people  look  uj)on  the  Bible  as  the  "  Word  of  God, " 
the  "  Bread  of  Life,  "  the  "  Written  Christ,"  and  the 
"  Bearer  of  the  Spirit  of  God."  Nowhere  is  the 
Bible  more  highly  esteemed  than  in  Germany. 

To  a  much  greater  exteiit  than  a  stranger  would 
deem  possible,  the  majority  of  the  German  peoxale 
are  disinclined  to  reading  of  any  sort.  Many  read 
carelessly  whatever  comes  into  their  hands.  Those 
who  are  anxious  to  introduce  good  reading  into  the 
homes  of  wage=earners,  and  peasants,  have  first  of  all 
to  awaken  a  desire  in  their  minds  to  read,  and  then 


CIRCULATION  OF  CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE        205 

to  guard  against  the  destructive  influence  of  bad  lit- 
erature. Hence  the  demand  for  Tract  Societies,  or 
Unions,  for  the  spread  of  Christian,  or  at  least,  of 
Ijrofitable  reading.  By  a  tract  is  meant  a  short  com- 
jjosition,  Christian  in  spirit  and  aim,  popular  in  form 
and  contents,  and  therefore  heljoful  in  its  influence. 
In  introducing  and  employing  this  method  of  spread- 
ing information  among  the  people,  the  influence  of 
Luther  was  decisive,  while  Pietism  and  the  sects 
have  contributed  to  its  use.  No  method  can  be  sim- 
pler or  more  natural.  In  England,  Hannah  More, 
desirous  of  counteracting  French  infidelity,  which  in 
her  day  was  powerfully  affecting  the  thought 
of  the  nation,  led  the  way  in  the  writing  and  circulat- 
ing of  tracts,  and  gave  the  impulse  which  resulted 
in  the  formation,  in  1799,  of  the  London  Tract  So- 
ciety. Several  Societies  with  a  similar  aim  have  since 
that  time  come  into  existence  in  Germany.  Among 
them  may  be  named  the  Christian  Union,  in  North 
Germany  ( 1811 ) ,  the  Wupperthal  Tract  Society  ( 1814 ) , 
The  Chief  Union  for  the  spread  of  Christian  writings 
of  an  Edifying  Character  in  the  Prussian  states,  Ber- 
lin (1814),  the  Lower  Saxony  Tract  Society,  Ham- 
burg (1820),  the  Evangelical  Book  Foundation, 
Stuttgart,  the  Press  Union  of  Calv,  organized  by  Dr. 
Barth  (1833),  the  Basel  Union  for  the  Spread  of 
Christian  Literature  (1834),  the  Agency  of  the 
Kough  House,  Hamburg  (1842),  the  Evangelical 
Book  LTnion  of  Berlin  (1845),  and  a  Division  of  the 
Society  for  the  Work  of  the  Inner  Mission  in  the 
Sense  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  Bavaria  (1850).  It 
will  thus  be  seen  that  there  is  no  lack  of  channels 
through   which  good  reading  can  reach  the  people. 


206  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

The  business  of  these  Societies  is  carried  on  in  a  very 
simple  way,  and  at  the  smallest  cost.  A  depot  for 
the  storing  of  tracts  is  about  all  that  is  required,  in 
addition  to  an  agent  to  supervise  and  secure  their  cir- 
culation. This  agent  is  responsible  to  a  Committee 
which  appoints  him  and  supervises  his  work.  Col- 
porteurs are  employed  to  a  considerable  extent,  but 
often  for  only  that  portion  of  the  year,  say  just  before 
Christmas,  when  work  on  the  farm  is  dullest,  and 
wage=earners  are  oftenest  idle.  These  colporteurs  are 
allowed  to  carry  about  a  few  little  trinkets  as  an  aid 
to  the  sale  of  their  books  or  tracts,  but  they  are  ex- 
pected everywhere  to  exert  a  Christian  influence,  and 
to  arouse,  if  possible,  an  interest  in  Christian  reading. 
Of  their  sales  and  their  work  they  make  careful 
reports.  No  tract  is  printed  without  the  sanction  of 
the  Committee  of  the  Society  whose  name  it  bears, 
nor  is  any  man,  pastor,  teacher,  volunteer  laborer, 
or  colporteur  permitted  to  offer  a  tract  to  anyone, 
either  on  sale  or  as  a  free  gift,  till  after  he  himself 
has  read  it  and  mastered  its  contents.  The  tract  dis- 
tributor is  also  expected  to  know  the  person  whom  he 
approaches,  as  well  as  the  tract  which  he  seeks  to 
circulate.  It  has  been  very  difficult  to  obtain  suitable 
material  for  distribution  in  the  tract  form.  Not  only 
must  the  tract  be  popular.  Instructive,  evangelical;  it 
must  be  adapted  to  those  who  are  to  be  reached  by  it. 
Experience  has  shown  that  tracts  which  do  good  serv- 
ice in  England  or  America,  are  of  little  value  in 
Germany.  Hence  in  recent  times,  the  effort  has 
been,  not  to  circulate  a  great  quantity  of  tracts,  but 
to  secure  those  which  are  of  the  right  kind,  and  then 
place  them  in  the  hands  of  persons  who  will  be  pro- 


CIRCULATION  OF  CHRISTIAN  LITERATURE         207 

fited  by  them.  Illustrations  are  introduced  into  this 
kind  of  literature  to  a  much  greater  extent  than  with  us. 
Oftentimes  an  attractive  cover  seems  to  lend  an  in- 
terest to  that  which  is  within.  Brief  lives  of  such 
men  as  Francke,  Wichern,  Fliedner,  statements  of 
the  frauds  connected  with  the  exhibition  of  the  so= 
called  Holy  Coat  at  Treves,  published  by  private 
firms  in  Bremen,  Leipzig,  and  elsewhere,  and  sold 
for  two  or  three  cents  each,  have  done  excellent  serv- 
ice. 

To  create  a  desire  for  good  reading  and  to  meet  the 
demand  for  it  when  created,  there  have  been  formed 
what  are  known  as  People's  Libraries,  which  contain 
from  a  hundred  volumes  up.  The  selection  of  these 
Libraries  is  a  matter  of  much  importance.  Every- 
thing sectarian  or  professional  is  excluded.  Only 
that  which  is  popular,  and  at  the  same  time  instruc- 
tive, is  admitted.  Ordinarily  the  librarian  serves 
without  pay;  and  not  infrequently,  when  a  local 
Union  provides  the  books,  those  who  wish  to  borrow 
them  can  take  them  out  free  of  cost,  though  some- 
times a  small  charge  is  made  for  the  use  of  the 
library.  Many  ministers  who  have  now  passed  away 
have  written  books  for  these  popular  libraries. 
Among  them  may  be  mentioned  such  men  as  pastor  Al- 
bert Vitzius,  Berne  ( Jer.  Gotthelf ),  who  has  described 
village  life  truthfully  and  vividly;  pastor  Rudolph 
Oeser,  of  Hesse,  (Glaubrecht,)  who  has  done  the 
same  for  the  life  of  the  common  peoiile  in  his  native 
Province;  and  iDastor  Caspari,  of  Munich,  who  has 
described  far  off  events  and  fcir  off  countries  in  a 
manner  so  lifelike  as  to  render  his  writings  exceed- 
ingly attractive.    Among  those  who  are  still  living, 


208  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

pastor  Frommel,  Court  preacher  at  Berlin,  and  pastor 
Nietsclimann,  of  Halle,  have  the  ear  of  the  people  to 
an  unusual  degree.  Of  these  libraries  there  are  two 
sorts:  those  which  seek  only  to  attract  and  instruct 
the  people,  and  those  which  are  strictly  religious  in 
their  character.  In  the  formation  of  libraries  for  in- 
struction, the  governments  of  Wiirttemberg  and  Sax- 
ony have  taken  great  interest  and  rendered  much  aid. 
The  larger  the  library  the  more  important  is  it  that 
its  custodian  should  be  a  man  who  knows  books,  and 
the  people  among  whom  he  lives  and  for  whose  use 
the  library  is  designed.  More  than  any  other  person 
he  can  determine  the  kind  of  reading  which  those 
who  patronize  the  library  should  select.  If  his  influ- 
ence is  greatest  in  the  country,  it  is  by  no  means 
small  in  the  city,  where  these  libraries  for  the  people 
also  abound.  No  little  good  has  been  done  through 
Unions  formed  to  furnish  newspapers,  magazines, 
and  other  profitable  reading  to  Prisons  and  Hospitals, 
and  through  special  Societies,  like  that  in  connection 
with  the  Berlin  City  Mission,  which  seek  to  put 
printed  sermons  into  the  hands  of  those  whose  duties 
keep  them  at  work  Sunday,  or  whose  inclinations 
rarely  lead  them  to  a  house  of  worship.  Nothing  is 
more  striking  to  one  who  studies  the  methods  which 
German  Christians  employ  to  reach  the  masses  with 
good  literature,  than  its  abundance  and  cheapness 
and  the  ease  with  which  it  is  everywhere  obtained. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  SOCIAL  NEEDS  OF  THE  PEOPLE. 

The  German  Church  of  to-day  has  not  been  insen- 
sible to  the  needs  of  the  people  in  the  aggregate. 
Social  Congresses  are  held  in  which  pastors  and  in- 
telligent laymen  discuss,  with  the  thoroughness  for 
which  the  country  is  celebrated,  the  relation  of  capi- 
tal to  labor,  the  condition  of  the  working  people  in 
the  country  and  in  the  city,  the  moral  and  spiritual 
needs  of  the  masses,  and  the  best  methods  of  meeting 
and  combating  religious  doubt  or  open  infidelity.  A 
powerful  Society  has  been  formed,  which  meets  once 
a  year  to  consider  how  the  aggressions  of  the  Church 
of  Rome  can  be  checked  and  the  traditional  rights  of 
Protestantism  preserved  and  strengthened.  As  new 
phases  of  need  appear,  earnest  men  band  themselves 
together  to  study  and  meet  them.  While  this  has 
been  done,  the  old  work  of  the  Inner  Mission  has  not 
been  neglected.  At  present,  increasing  attention  is 
given  to  cities,  for  this  is  the  era  of  great  towns  and 
of  congested  populations,  although  the  wants  of  rural 
districts  are  not  overlooked.  To  many,  life  in  a  city 
is  a  temptation  which  often  ends  in  moral  and  spirit- 
ual disaster.  The  city  seems  to  be  the  natural  home 
of  those  who  are  indifferent  to  religion,  careless  of 
its  ordinances,  neglectful  of  the  marriage  ceremony, 
and  even  of  the  sacred  rites  of  Christian  burial.  The 
influence    of    the    careless  and  indifferent  on  one 

209 


210  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

another  is  hurtful.  On  those  who  are  not  confirmed 
in  moral  depravity,  it  is  altogether  bad.  To  meet 
these  evils,  and  the  more  open  sins  which  spring 
from  them,  is  one  of  the  objects  of  German  City 
Missions. 

Although  the  work  of  City  Missions  in  Europe, 
began  in  Glasgow  in  1826,  with  David  Nasmith  and 
his  eight  assistants,  and  in  London  in  1835,  where 
now  more  than  four  hundred  laborers  are  constantly 
employed,  the  good  work  was  not  introduced  into 
Germany  till  1848,  when  Wichern  began  mission 
work  on  a  small  scale  in  the  city  of  Hamburg. 
Eleven  years  later,  or  in  1859,  he  laid  the  foundations 
of  a  similar  work  in  Berlin.  Since  that  time  Mis- 
sions have  been  formed  in  most  of  the  larger  cities  of 
the  German  States. 

In  these  Missions  three  main  objects  are  kept  in 
view,  (1)  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  people  and 
their  dwelling  houses,  cleanliness  in  their  food, 
clothing,  and  personal  habits,  the  frequency  of  their 
removals  from  place  to  place;  (2)  their  moral  con- 
dition, their  manner  of  life,  their  exposure  to  temp- 
tation on  account  of  the  character  of  the  neighbor- 
hood in  which  they  live,  the  crowded  condition  of 
the  apartments  they  occupy,-  and  (8)  their  relations 
to  the  Church,  of  which  perhajDS  the  majority, 
through  baptism  and  confirmation,  are  j)rofessed 
members.  Neither  in  Glasgow  nor  in  London  can 
anything  sectarian  be  taught  in  connection  with 
their  City  Missions;  nor  can  the  interests  of  any  par- 
ticular Church  be  furthered.  Missionaries,  chiefly 
laymen,  visit  from  house  to  house,  present  Bible 
truth,  pure  and  simple,  furnish  such  material  aid  as 


SOCIAL  NEEDS  OF  THE  PEOPLE  211 

is  within  their  power,  but  make  no  effort  whatever  to 
persuade  people  to  connect  themselves  with  any  par- 
ticular denomination  of  Christians.  They  are  satis- 
fied if  those  they  visit  become  Christians.  They 
work,  as  do  City  Missionaries  in  Germany,  among 
different  classes  of  the  people, — soldiers,  the  police, 
sailors,  dockmen,  cab  drivers,  street=car  men,  and 
young  persons  who  seem  to  lack  strength  to  resist 
the  temptations  to  immoral  living  which  surround 
them. 

In  Germany,  City  Mission  work  in  general  is  not 
dependent  on  the  Church.  As  sects  have  slight  influ- 
ence, their  peculiar  beliefs  are  scarcely  considered  in 
the  effort  to  save  the  people  from  moral  and  spiritual 
ruin;  nor  is  it  for  a  moment  supposed  that  they  are 
permanently  saved  until  they  have  become  Christians. 
There  are  no  attempts  to  allure  them  by  games  or  to 
entrap  them  by  the  promise  of  temporal  good;  the 
effort  is  made  at  once  and  continually  to  bring  them 
back  into  the  Church,  to  persuade  them  to  attend  its 
services,  prize  its  ordinances,  and  accept  its  blessings. 
The  temporal  gifts  the  missionaries  bring,  they  bring 
as  Christians,  and  present  them  in  a  Christian  spirit, 
in  the  hope  of  winning  those  who  receive  them  to  the 
Master  whom  they  serve. 

The  Missions  in  Hamburg,  Berlin,  Bremen,  Bres- 
lau,  Dresden,  Stuttgart,  Frankfurt  on  the  Main, 
Magdeburg,  Carlsruhe,  Munich,  and  many  other 
places  are  under  the  control  of  a  pastor  who  is  thor- 
oughly interested  in  the  work  he  has  in  charge,  and 
who  has  sjpecial  gifts  for  carrying  it  on.  In  Berlin, 
Dr.  Stoecker,  the  eloquent  Court  preacher,  member 
of  parliament,  author,  editor  and  lecturer,  is  Superin- 


212  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

tendent  of  the  mission.  Every  Sunday,  services, 
which  are  thronged,  are  held  in  the  building  which  is 
known  as  the  Johannesstift,  the  center  from  which  all 
the  work  of  the  Mission  proceeds.  Dr.  Stoecker^s 
sermons,  with  other  Christian  literature,  are  circulated 
throughout  the  city  and  the  German=speaking  world, 
chiefly  by  the  aid  of  money  given  for  the  purpose. 

A  Central  House  like  the  one  in  Berlin  around 
which  everything  connected  with  mission  work  may 
gather,  a  place  where  those  in  need  can  come  for 
temporal  aid,  or  friendly  advice,  is  indispensable. 
Often  the  City  Mission  is  simply  the  Inner  Mission 
for  the  city  in  which  it  is  located.  It  undertakes  to 
do  for  the  people  within  the  limits  of  the  city  all  that 
the  larger  body  does  for  the  people  throughout  the 
Empire.  A  bureau  of  statistics  is  at  the  service  of 
those  who  care  to  consult  it.  Hither  those  come  who 
are  hungry,  out  of  work,  discouraged,  or  in  trouble  of 
any  sort.  Those  connected  with  the  Mission  seek  to 
bestow  their  charities  wisely,  to  discover  and  rebuke 
professional  beggars,  to  promote  industry  and  frugal- 
ity, to  create  feelings  of  hope  and  courage  in  all 
whom  they  aid.  Without  a  House,  or  rooms  in  which 
the  superintendent  and  some  of  his  assistants  may 
live,  an  assembly  hall,  and  rooms  in  which  commit- 
tees and  friendly  societies  may  meet,  successful  mis- 
sion work  is  welhnigh  impossible.  Such  a  House 
becomes  at  once  the  center  of  a  far-reaching,  ever= 
widening  Christian  activity.  Through  its  influence 
those  who  furnish  money  for  its  erection  and  support, 
and  those  who  occupy  it,  seek  to  meet  and  supply 
the  varied  needs  of  those  who  are  to  be  saved  for 
the  kingdom  of  God. 


SOCIAL  NEEDS  OE  THE  PEOPLE  213 

Only  those  engage  in  this  mission  service  who 
feel  themselves  true  children  of  God,  and  have  a  real 
passion  for  sonls:  devout  laymen,  who  have  been 
trained  as  deacons,  or  deaconesses,  or  voluntary 
laborers  whose  hearts  have  been  filled  with  divine 
grace.  By  such  the  sick  are  visited,  those  who  are 
burdened  with  poverty  are  made  glad,  and  those  who 
are  struggling  against  temptation  are  encouraged  to 
persevere  till  they  gain  the  victory.  Bibles  and 
tracts  are  sold  at  a  nominal  price,  or  are  given  away. 
Persons  living  together  illegally  are  persuaded  to  be 
married  according  to  law,  to  have  their  children  bap- 
tised, once  more  to  attend  church,  or  at  least  the  ser- 
vice at  the  Mission.  Released  prisoners,  fallen  but 
repentant  women,  servant  girls  exposed  to  tempta- 
tions from  unscrupulous  men,  are  not  forgotten.  The 
care  of  the  sick  is  chiefly  in  the  hands  of  the  deacon- 
esses, while  the  "brethren"  visit  the  needy  and  dis- 
tressed. Bibles  are  distributed  and  every  effort 
which  can  be  put  forth  is  made  to  introduce  good 
reading  into  homes  that  lack  profitable  and  helpful 
books.  But  not  till  the  persons  visited  are  brought 
into  connection  with  some  local  Church,  and  thus 
come  under  the  personal  care  of  the  minister  of  that 
Church,  is  the  missionary's  work  looked  upon  as 
completed. 

Each  Church  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  carries  on 
missionary  work  among  its  own  people.  Yet  in  par- 
ishes which  number  from  80,000  to  100,000  persons  it 
is  welhnigh  impossible,  even  where  three  or  four 
pastors  are  grouped  together,  and  trained  assistants 
are  employed,  to  do  satisfactory  pastoral  work,  though 
every  year  shows  an  improvement  in  this  direction. 


214  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

As  new  Churches  are  built,  parishes  are  made  smaller, 
and  the  number  of  assistants  is  increased  to  meet  the 
demands  of  the  rapidly  growinp:  city  populations.  In 
doing  this,  the  aid  of  the  City  Mission,  and  especially 
that  of  deaconesses,  the  crown  and  glory  of  whose 
work  is  service  in  the  Church,  has  been  of  inestimable 
value.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  the  deaconesses 
employed  in  this  service  must  enjoy  the  confidence 
and  recognition  of  the  pastor  and  authorities  of  the 
Church  with  which  they  are  connected,  whose  sick 
they  visit,  whose  needy  children  they  instruct,  whose 
wandering  ones  they  seek  to  bring  back  to  the  fold, 
and  whose  Christian  spirit  they  everywhere  represent. 
Very  helpful  service  is  rendered  the  poor  through 
Unions.  These  often  have  their  own  agents,  where 
possible,  deaconesses,  or  persons  trained  to  visit  and 
give  aid  to  those  who  require  assistance.  To  the 
Unions  which  sustain  them  these  laborers  are  respon- 
sible. Sometimes  Unions  of  women  gather  funds 
from  the  entire  country,  and  distribute  them  through 
those  whom  they  employ.  Sometimes  a  deaconess 
collects  money  herself  for  cases  of  pressing  need; 
sometimes  she  brings  the  poor  and  rich  together;  at 
other  times  she  receives  or  secures  for  a  needy  family 
unsaleable  pieces  of  meat  from  butchers,  hard  bread 
from  bakers,  and  shop-worn  articles  of  clothing  from 
storekeepers.  Now  and  then  she  takes  the  place  of  a 
sick  mother  in  the  care  of  the  house,  or  she  acts  as 
nurse  for  a  sick  child,  or  a  sick  husband.  On  occa- 
sion, too,  she  looks  after  the  sanitary  conditions  of  the 
home,  or  teaches  a  daughter,  or  a  poorly  instructed 
wife,  how  to  care  for  the  family.  She  also  interests 
neighbors   in   a  family  which  may  stand  in  need  of 


SOCIAL  NEEDS  OF  THE  PEOPLE  215 

attention  for  a  considerable  time.  Again  she  brings 
together  little  children  and  forms  them  into  a  school, 
or  secures  some  one  to  look  after  the  babes  while  the 
mothers  are  away  at  work.  Both  in  her  own  life  and 
by  her  words  she  seeks  to  teach  lessons  of  unselfish- 
ness and  Christian  charity.  In  all  this  varied  and 
Christlike  work,  she  needs,  as  she  manifests,  rare 
gifts  of  organization,  the  pov/er  to  make  a  little 
accomplish  a  great  deal,  skill  in  awakening  latent 
forces,  and  in  directing  them  when  awakened.  What 
the  poor  often  lack  is  not  money,  but  the  ability  to 
earn  money,  and  wisdom  in  its  use,  when  earned. 
The  Christian  visitor  shows  her  troubled  and  per- 
l^lexed  friends  how  to  get  rid  of  poverty,  how  to 
eecure  and  i3reserve  health,  how  to  overcome  vicious 
habits,  how  to  fill  the  home  with  the  sweetness  and 
light  of  a  Christian  life.  She  is  ever  wisely  on  her 
guard  lest  she  should  make  promises  which  she  may 
not  be  able  to  fulfil,  lest  she  should  assume  burdens 
in  the  way  of  responsibility  for  rent,  which  she  will 
find  it  hard  to  bear,  lest  she  should  spend  too  much 
time  in  collecting  for  the  needy,  lest  she  should  look 
upon  a  particular  section  of  a  city  as  her  special  field 
of  labor,  and  thus  become  jealous  of  others,  who  may 
also  be  anxious  to  aid  in  its  cultivation.  She  is  careful 
not  to  become  the  foster  mother  of  too  many  children 
at  their  baptism,  and  thus  bring  herself  into  a  false 
position  in  relation  to  them. 

The  care  of  the  poor  is  at  the  best  a  difficult  task. 
The  causes  of  poverty,  moral  as  well  as  material,  require 
careful  study.  They  can  be  removed  only  through 
personal  ministrations.  This  the  early  Church  well 
understood,   and  for  three  centuries   at   least  freely 


2i6  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

rendered  them.  The  State,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
began  to  give  its  aid  in  support  of  the  poor  in  days 
immediately  following  the  reign  of  Constantine.  The 
Church  did  very  much  for  the  poor  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  yet  chiefly  through  the  income  of  special  funds 
provided  for  the  purpose,  and  by  an  administration 
of  charity  which  increased  its  claimants.  Beggars 
looked  upon  begging  as  a  profession,  through  which 
they  were  ministering  to  the  Christian  growth  of 
those  whom  they  asked  for  aid.  Men  gave,  if  they 
gave  at  all,  for  their  own  sake,  rather  than  to  alleviate 
suffering  or  to  honor  God.  In  the  sixteenth  century 
the  Church  went  back  to  the  personal  methods  of  the 
pre^Constantine  period.  At  present,  for  many  classes 
of  sufferers,  the  State  assumes  the  entire  expense,  and 
looks  to  the  Church  only  to  supply  that  personal  sym- 
pathy which  belongs  to  her  very  atmosphere.  As  the 
results  of  criticism,  which  a  great  army  of  Christian 
helpers  have  made,  the  methods  of  the  State  have 
been  improved,  and  are  becoming  better  every  year. 
Now,  she  seeks  to  avoid  the  danger  of  increasing  the 
numbers  of  the  class  she  is  compelled  to  aid.  Since 
1852,  the  Chalmers  method,  with  modifications,  and 
known  as  the  Elberfeld  method,  has  met  with  wide 
approval. 

In  this  work  of  caring  for  the  poor,  there  are  four 
factors;  the  State,  the  Church,  special  Societies,  and 
Individuals.  Aid  given  on  one's  personal  responsi- 
bility, experience  has  proved  to  be  the  worst  possible. 
It  is  given  without  accurate  knowledge  of  the  need, 
oftentimes  simply  to  rid  one's  self  of  the  beggar.  In 
contrast  with  the  thoughtless  aid  from  the  individual 
is  the  legal  aid  from  the  State.  This  is  given  through 
forms  of  law,  under  certain  fixed  conditions,  and  is 


SOCIAL  NEEDS  OF  THE  PEOPLE  217 

received,  not  as  something  for  which  to  cherish  grate- 
ful feelings,  but  as  a  right  created  by  the  conditions 
in  which  the  recipient  is  placed.  Societies,  through 
those  whom  they  employ,  strive  to  meet  the  demands 
of  certain  classes  for  which  they  obtain  funds  in 
answer  to  special  appeals.  The  charity  they  dispense 
is  neither  small  nor  unimportant.  The  Church,  where 
she  is  worthy  her  name,  seeks  through  her  member- 
ship to  supply  the  lack  which  other  agencies  fail  to 
meet.  Often  it  is  enough  that  she  gives  personal 
attendance,  always  in  a  Christian  spirit,  to  the  sick, 
or  that  fhe  encourages,  with  hopeful  and  instructive 
words,  the  dependent  and  disheartened.  It  is  this 
kind  of  work  that  the  Church  seeks  to  do,  in  cities 
by  means  of  the  City  Mission,  in  the  country  at  large 
by  means  of  the  Inner  Mission. 

Since  1870  the  German  States  have  sought  to  pro- 
tect themselves  against  impostors,  by  law,  and  by 
defining  the  residence  of  those  applying  for  assist- 
ance. The  purpose  of  these  precautions  is  to  throw 
the  expense  of  providing  for  the  support  of  those  who 
are  actually  needy  on  the  place  from  which  they  come 
or  in  which  they  really  reside. 

Care  for  the  sick  and  wounded  in  time  of  war,  or 
sufferers  from  pestilence,  has  now  assumed  vast  pro- 
portions. 

Humanitarian  efforts  in  these  directions  are  con- 
fined almost  entirely  to  the  present  century.  History 
reports  as  terrible  the  sufferings  of  those  who 
were  left  helpless  on  the  battle  field  of  Leipzig,  in 
1813.  The  horrors  of  the  Crimean  War,  in  1854,  made 
an  irresistible  ajipeal  to  women  like  Florence  Night- 
ingale, and  those  who  furnished  her  with  means  to 


218  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

alleviate  the  sufferings  of  the  English  soldiers  and 
their  allies.  But  the  real  birth  of  the  new  benevolence 
toward  sufferers  from  war,  by  common  consent 
seems  to  have  taken  place  during  the  Italian  Cam- 
paigns of  1859.  A  great  step  forward  was  taken  at 
Geneva,  Aug.  7,  18G4,  when  the  convention  there  in 
session  decided  that  the  wounded  and  the  sick,  in  the 
dwellings  they  occupy,  should  be  treated  as  neutrals, 
and  that  physicians  and  attendants  should  be 
deemed  non  combatants.  From  this  decision  came 
the  Ked  Cross  movement,  with  its  beneficent  results. 
In  the  Schleswig=Holstein  war,  deacons  from 
Duisberg,  deaconesses  from  Kaiserswerth  and  other 
places,  Sisters  of  Compassion,  Brothers  from  the 
Eough  House,  and  members  of  the  Order  of  St. 
John,  rendered  never'tO'be=forgotten  service.  In 
1863,  a  Union  of  those  who  were  willing  to  hold 
themselves  ready  for  service  like  this  in  time  of  war 
was  formed  at  Wtirttemberg,  and  another  the  follow- 
ing year,  in  Prussia.  The  Central  Committee  of  this 
Prussian  Union  resides  in  Berlin.  On  this  Commit- 
tee, and  representing  the  government,  is  a  person  of 
high  military  rank,  who  is  appointed  by  the  Emperor. 
The  war  of  1866  made  it  still  more  evident  than  be- 
fore, that  a  closer  union  between  those  from  civil  life 
v.'ho  are  v/illing  to  care  for  the  sick  and  wounded  in 
time  of  war  and  the  military  authorities  must  be 
sought.  This  was  partially  brought  about  in  the  war 
of  1870-71.  Since  that  time  efforts  have  been  made 
to  train  for  field  service  all  who  are  willing  to  render 
it,  and  to  secure  the  closest  possible  union  between 
these  volunteer  helpers  and  the  military  authorities. 
At  present  it  is  understood  that  all  these  helpers,  no 


SOCIAL  NEEDS  OF  THE  PEOPLE  219 

matter  from  what  quarter  they  come,  shall  be  under 
military  control,  and  as  completely  so  as  if  they  were 
enlisted  soldiers.  They  are  free  to  enter,  or  remain 
out  of,  the  service.  Having  entered  it,  they  are  free 
neither  to  leave  it  till  the  stress  is  over,  nor  to  under- 
take any  service  save  that  assigned  to  them  by 
the  proper  military  officers.  From  this  arrangement, 
much  is  expected.  Members  of  several  Societies  are 
prei3aring  themselves  for  this  service,  and  in  some  in- 
stitutions, like  that  at  Kaiserswerth,  special  training 
for  it  is  required.  There  are  not  a  few  Roman  Cath- 
olic Unions  whose  members  have  declared  themselves 
ready  for  this  service,  whenever  needed.  The  good 
that  training  will  do  was  abundantly  shown  in  the 
cholera  days,  at  Hamburg,  in  1893.  Terrible  as  were 
the  distress  and  fatality,  both  would  have  been  far 
worse  but  for  the  presence  of  deaconesses,  sisters  of 
mercy,  and  others,  men  and  women,  who,  at  the  risk 
of  their  own  lives,  did  not  hesitate  to  render  the  care 
which  those  who  were  stricken,  so  greatly  needed. 

In  selcctmg  persons  to  train  for'  service  to  be  ren- 
dered in  pestilence  and  war,  care  must  be  exercised 
to  obtain  those  whose  temx^erament  and  abilities  fit 
them  for  it.  Equal  care  must  be  taken  in  imparting 
instruction.  Provision  also  must  be  made  for  em- 
ployment in  time  of  peace,  else  the  outbreak  of  war 
would  find  even  trained  volunteers  unequal  to  an 
emergency.  As  far  as  possible,  these  diflaculties 
have  been  met,  till  now  it  is  believed  that  no  country 
has  a  better  or  larger  corps  of  trained  workers  ready 
to  do  duty  on  a  field  of  battle,  or  be  sent  to  an  hospital 
filled  with  the  victims  of  an  epidemic,  than  Germany. 
Nearly  all  these  volunteers  are  professed  Christians, 


220  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

and  will  render  the  service  required  of  them  in  a 
spirit  of  love  for  their  Master,  in  the  hope  of  leading 
those  to  whom  they  minister  into  His  Kingdom. 

The  questions  of  Sunday  rest,  of  the  relation  of 
schools  to  the  Church,  of  dwellings,  and  of  economy, 
or  of  savings  banks,  call  for  brief  discussion. 

Two  different  classes  of  people  seek,  for  precisely 
opposite  reasons,  the  preservation  of  Sunday :  one  class 
wishes  a  day  of  worship  and  spiritual  improvement, 
the  other  a  day  of  release  from  labor  and  bodily 
rest.  The  class  to  which  Social  Democrats  belong 
holds  many  of  its  meetings  on  Sunday,  and  employs 
it  in  visiting,  or  in  whatever  way  ministers  most  to 
the  pleasure  of  its  individual  members.  Christian 
people,  and  those  who  are  conservative  in  their  polit- 
ical ideas,  believe  in  a  Sunday  which  shfiU  be  devoted 
to  worshi]3,  at  least  in  the  morning,  a  day  on  which 
servile  work  shall  cease,  but  on  which  friends  may 
visit  each  other  and  meet  in  social  gatherings. 
There  are  still  others  who  have  no  care  whatever  for 
the  day,  who,  as  far  as  may  be,  continue  their  ordi- 
nary occux3ations,  or  devote  the  day  entirely  to  pleas- 
ure. Nowhere  is  it  kept  with  the  strictness  and 
reverence  visible  in  Scotland,  or  even  in  the  United 
States.  Formerly  most  of  the  smaller  stores  were 
open  on  Sunday.  A  recent  Prussian  law  requires 
them  to  be  closed  during  the  hours  of  morning  serv- 
ice, but  allows  them  to  remain  open  a  portion  of  the 
afternoon.  Many  think  the  law  has  had  a  good  in- 
fluence. In  some  sections  of  the  country,  certain 
hours  are  set  apart  for  the  instruction  of  apprentices, 
and  other  young  men  whose  education  is  deficient, 
and  who  have  no  time  for  study  on  week  days.    Many 


SOCIAL  NEEDS  OF  THE  PEOPLE  221 

earnest  Christiaus,  in  Germany,  are  putting  forth 
strenuous  efforts  to  secure  very  stringent  laws  provid- 
ing for  Sunday  rest.  They  are  striving  also  to  secure 
its  proper  religious  observance.  Their  wish  is  that 
no  business  shall  be  transacted  on  the  Lord's  Day, 
that  food  shall  be  simple,  that  even  friendly  Unions 
shall  hold  no  meetings  on  this  day,  and  that  attend- 
ance at  Church  shall  be  regular.  There  has  been  a 
great  unwillingness  to  give  up  Sunday  gains.  Offi- 
cials have  hesitated  to  favor  a  law  which  might  seem 
to  infringe  upon  personal  liberty.  Yet,  on  the  whole, 
it  is  thought  that  the  day  is  better  observed,  and  is 
devoted  to  better  uses,  than  it  was  a  score  of  years 
since, 

A  serious  question,  and  one  which  has  been  very 
earnestly  and  even  passionately  discussed,  is  the  re- 
lation oftJie  scJiool  to  the  Church.  Shall  the  school 
be  dependent  upon  the  Church,  or  in  such  relations 
with  it  as  practically  to  give  pastors  authority  over 
its  teachers?  This  is  really  the  question  at  issue. 
Naturally,  teachers  as  a  class  favor  independence  of 
ecclesiastical  control,  even  if  that  control  be  wisely 
and  rarely  exercised.  Schools  supported  by  Church 
funds,  or  provided  through  tuition  paid  by  members 
of  a  parish,  are  of  course  subject  to  the  authority  of 
those  who  sustain  it.  Of  these  schools,  Protestant 
and  Catholic,  the  number  is  large.  But  there  are 
other  schools,  which  are  maintained  by  the  State  and 
by  such  tuition  as  the  State  chooses  to  charge.  Over 
these  schools,  it  is  not  desirable,  most  teachers  think, 
that  pastors,  or  priests,  should  have  control.  Proba- 
bly few,  even  of  those  who  really  attend  Church, 
would  be  willing  to  have  the  Bible  excluded  from  the 


222  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

school  as  a  text=book,  or  to  have  regular  religious  in- 
struction  given  up.  None  save  Social  Democrats, 
and  a  small  number  of  agnostics  or  atheists  belonging 
to  the  cultured  classes,  want  Godless  schools,  or  the 
secular  schools  of  Holland,  or  of  the  United  States. 
There  is,  however,  a  feeling,  which  is  wide^spread,  that 
if  pastors  give  instruction  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church,  they  should  do  it  with  the  consent  and  at  the 
request  of  the  teachers,  and  not  as  a  right  which  the 
teacher  is  powerless  to  withhold.  The  excited  feeling 
which  was  aroused  a  fev/  years  ago  over  the  school 
question  has  by  no  means  wholly  subsided.  There 
are  a  good  many  Unions  which  exist  for  no  other  pur- 
pose than  to  keep  religion  in  the  school,  not  for- 
mally, but  in  reality.  Since  1883,  the  influence  of  the 
Evangelical  School  Congress  has  been  great  and  de- 
cided. The  extraordinary  influence  of  the  profound- 
ly Christian  instruction  imparted  in  the  Gymnasium 
of  Gtitersloh,  the  character  and  eminence  of  the  men 
it  has  sent  into  the  world  since  its  foundation  in 
1851,  render  it  an  object  lesson  to  which  the  advo- 
cates of  the  Christian  school  point  with  great  satis- 
faction. There  is  no  doubt  that  many  pastors  have 
shown  a  love  of  jDower  in  the  control  of  schools  which 
cannot  be  too  sternly  rebuked.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  would  be  extremely  unfortunate  were  the  present 
bitter  feeling  between  many  teachers  and  pastors  to 
continue. 

The  question  of  snitahle  dweUlngs  for  the  poor, 
and  even  for  ordinary  workmen,  is  one  of  no  slight 
importance.  It  is  a  sanitary  question  which  neither 
the  State  nor  society  can  venture  to  disregard.  To 
questions  concerning  the  character  of  the  dwelling, 


SOCIAL  NEEDS  OF  THE  PEOPLE  223 

the  presence  of  more  than  one  family  in  a  single 
room,  and  the  immorality  which  such  a  condition  fos- 
ters, members  of  the  Inner  Mission  long  since  called 
attention.  Building  Societies  have  not  been  as  popu- 
lar or  as  successful  in  Germany  as  in  England.  Since 
1853,  the  suburb  for  working  peox)le  in  Miilhausen, 
Alsace,  where  homes  are  secured  through  the  aid  of 
kindly  disposed  individuals,  has  given  rise  to  favorable 
comment.  Several  homes  for  workmen  have  been  se- 
cured at  Bielefeld,  through  Pastor  von  Bodel- 
schwingh's  Workingmen's  Home  Union.  Those  who 
ha^'e  given  most  thought  to  the  subject  favor  one  of 
two  things:  a  single  house  where  possible,  contain- 
ing not  less  than  3,000  cubic  feet  of  space  for  a  fami- 
ly; if  this  is  not  possible,  then  houses  in  what  may  be 
termed  "a  colony,"  in  which  four  families  shall  live 
under  the  same  roof,  two  on  the  lower,  and  two  on 
the  upper  floors.  Here  the  homes  are  placed  so  near 
each  other  as  to  render  co-operation,  in  matters  of 
mutual  concern,  natural  and  easy.  In  a  suburb  laid 
out  in  this  way  certain  laws  are  necessary,  to  which 
all  who  enjoy  its  advantages  must  give  willing  obedi- 
ence. But  the  great  end  sought  is  to  arouse  in  the 
workingman  a  desire  to  own  a  home  of  his  own,  to 
show  him  how  he  may  do  this,  and,  through  Building 
and  other  Societies,  to  help  him  to  put  the  idea  into 
practice.  Hence  the  importance  of  savings  banks,  in 
which  very  small  sums  may  be  deposited,  and  which 
are  retained,  till  by  constant  additions  and  the  inter- 
est, they  become  quite  large.  These  banks  are  not  so 
common  in  Germany  as  in  England,  yet  arrange- 
ments through  the  post-office,  encourage  the  frugal- 
minded  to  put  their  savings  where  they  will  draw  in- 


224  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

terest  and  be  perfectly  secure.  Christian  people 
favor  these  banks,  partly  because  of  the  value  of  econ- 
omy to  those  who  j)ractice  it,  partly  because  those  M'ho 
have  something  saved  are  better  citizens,  and  partly 
because  Social  Democrats  are  opposed  to  this  method, 
of  saving,  saying,  as  they  constantly  do,  "a  working- 
man  cannot  save."  When  a  workingman  becomes  a 
capitalist,  however  small,  he  ceases  to  be  a  Social  Demo- 
crat. He  has  no  desire  to  overturn  existing  institu- 
tions, or  to  destroy  the  government  of  his  country. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  SPECIAL  FORCES  BY  WHICH  THE  WORK  OF  THE 
INNER  MISSION  IS  CARRIED  ON. 

DEACONESSES  AND  BEOTHEKS. 

Having  thus  traced  the  work  which  Christian  peo- 
ple in  the  German  National  Churches  are  trying  to  do 
for  those  who  nominally  belong  to  these  Churches 
but  are  suffering  morally  or  physically,  either  from 
causes  for  which  they  are  not  personally  responsible, 
or  as  the  result  of  their  own  wrong  doing,  it  remains 
to  consider  the  trained  forces  M'hich  have  been  put  un- 
der requisition  to  take  the  lead  in  this  work  of  relief 
and  restoration. 

Of  transcendent  importance  is  the  Deaconess' 
Movement  in  Germany,  to  which  we  would  direct 
attention  as  well  as  to  the  efforts  which  have  been 
made,  and  with  considerable  success,  to  revive  the  or- 
der of  deacons  in  the  Church,  although  those  who 
have  joined  this  order  have  not  as  yet  been  placed  un- 
der ecclesiastical  authority. 

If  the  first  quarter  of  the  century  and  the  earlier 
years  of  the  second  quarter,  are  memorable  for  the  in- 
terest awakened  in  Foreign  Missionary  work,  the  latter 
is  no  less  memorable  for  revived  interest  in  Christian 
work  at  home.  No  feature  of  this  movement,  which 
has  for  its  object  the  saving  and  developing  of  mater- 
ial which,  through  the  sacrament  of  baptism  and  the 

225 


226  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

rite  of  conJSrmation,  has  been  professedly  brought  in- 
to the  Church,  is  of  greater  significance  than  that 
which  resulted  in  reviving  the  ancient  order  of  dea- 
conesses. Here  the  name  of  Theodore  Fliedner 
(1800-1864),  early  in  the  twenties  made  pastor  of  the 
X^arish  of  Kaiserswerth,  on  the  Rhine,  is  prominent. 
Although  he  was  by  no  means  the  first  even  in  Ger- 
many to  consider  the  wisdom  of  restoring  to  woman 
the  place  she  had  occupied  in  the  early  Church  as  dea- 
coness, he  was  obviously  the  divinely  chosen  agent 
for  its  accomplishment. 

A  few  words  may  here  not  be  out  of  place  as  to  the 
personal  history  of  this  remarkable  man.  The  son  of 
a  poor  pastor  at  Eppstein,  a  member  of  a  large  family, 
he  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  under  the  pressure 
of  scant  means.  The  early  death  of  his  father  made 
it  very  difficult  for  him  to  obtain  an  education. 
Through  sheer  necessity  he  learned  how  to  live  on 
very  little;  great  self-denial  carried  him  through 
the  Gymnasium.  Almost  entirely  supporting  himself, 
he  took  his  University  course  at  Giessen,  and  at  Got- 
tingen.  The  rationalism  of  the  Universities  was  not 
to  his  mind,  nor  did  he  ever  weaken  in  his  faith  in 
the  miracles  and  resurrection  of  Christ,  After  a  brief 
joeriod  spent  as  a  teacher  in  private  families  he  was 
appointed  to  the  charge  of  the  little  Protestant  parish 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  town  of  Kaiserswerth.  The 
failure  of  a  trusted  business  house  in  1822  brought 
the  parish  to  the  verge  of  bankruptcy.  To  the  au- 
thorities of  the  Church  it  seem.ed  hardly  worth  while 
to  continue  work  in  it.  Two  other  parishes,  either  of 
them  more  desirable  than  that  in  Kaiserswerth,  were 
offered  Fliedner,  but  he  refused  them,  saying  that  he 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  227 

would  not  be  a  hireling,  but  would  remain  with  his 
people  in  their  sufPerings.  For  their  sake  he  travelled 
through  portions  of  Germany,  Holland,  Brabant,  and 
England,  to  obtain  funds  for  the  support  of  his 
parish.  Succesful  in  this,  he  found,  as  his  biogra- 
phers affirm,  something  far  better  than  money:  he 
found  faith.  Not  altogether  wanting  in  this  at  first, 
he  returned  to  Kaiserswerth  a  very  different  man 
from  what  he  was  when  he  left  it.  His  journeys  were 
useful  to  him  in  many  ways.  His  visits  to  prisons,  in 
England  especially,  opened  his  eyes  to  the  sufPerings 
of  those  under  confinement  in  Germany.  Through 
his  personal  influence,  in  1826,  the  Prison  Society  of 
the  Rhine  Provinces  and  Westphalia  was  organized. 
This  was  the  first  Society  of  the  kind  on  the  Conti- 
nent. For  years  he  regularly  visited  the  prison  at 
Dtisseldorf  every  fourteen  days.  Here  he  met  the 
woman,  Friedereke  Mtinster,  who  as  his  first  wife  was 
destined  to  take  a  prominent  and  determinative  part 
in  his  life^^work.  Having  perceived  that  bodily  care, 
coupled  with  spiritual  instruction,  was  greatly  needed 
in  the  Prisons  and  Hospitals  of  his  native  land,  Flied- 
ner  gradually  came  to  see  that  in  some  way  the 
Scriptural  order  of  deaconesses  must  be  revived.  As 
an  unknown  man,  the  pastor  of  an  insignificant 
parish,  he  felt  that  he  himself  could  not  take  the  lead 
in  the  movement  to  bring  about  this  greatly  desired 
result.  Hence  his  earnest  effort  to  persuade  some  of 
his  more  distinguished  brethren  to  go  forward  in  the 
matter.  None  would  respond  to  his  appeals.  On  the 
contrary,  all  declared,  with  practical  unanimity,  that 
as  he  (Fliedner)  had  evidently  been  called  of  God  to 
the  work,  he  ought  to  assume  its  responsibility  and  ^ 


228  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

trust  God  to  send  him  both  the  sick  and  the  money 
to  care  for  them. 

On  September  13,  1883,  there  came  to  the  house  of 
the  Kaiserswerth  pastor,  who  had  meanwhile  acquired 
a  reputation  for  unusual  kindness  of  heart,  a  woman, 
named  Minna,  begging  for  protection  and  assistance. 
She  had  just  been  freed  from  prison,  and  every  repu- 
table home,  she  found,  was  closed  against  her.  In 
the  garden  attached  to  the  parsonage  there  was  an 
unoccupied  house,  about  twelve  feet  square,  which 
Fliedner  and  his  wife  opened  to  her  as  a  temporary 
place  of  refuge.  A  second  penitent  girl  soon  followed 
the  first.  The  sleeping^room  was  in  the  attic  of  the 
little  building,  and  was  reached  through  a  window  by 
ft  ladder,  which  a  servant  brought  at  bed  time,  and 
removed  as  soon  as  the  young  women  mounted  to 
their  place  of  rest.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the 
work  in  which  Fliedner  and  his  wife  had  been  so 
anxious  to  interest  men  of  influence  and  wealth. 
Failing  in  this,  these  two  Christian  people  deter- 
mined to  bear  the  burden  alone  and  rely  upon  God  to 
help  them.  In  three  years  the  number  of  applicants 
had  so  increased  that  a  building  si3ecially  adapted  to 
their  wants  became  indispensable.  So  on  April  20th, 
1836,  with  little  money  in  sight,  but  with  a  firm 
conviction  that  it  would  come,  Fliedner  purchased 
a  house  near  his  own  home,  promising  that  before 
the  end  of  the  year  he  would  pay  2,300  thalers  (rather 
more  than  $1600)  for  it.  In  November  the  promise 
was  redeemed.  Thus  the  first  great  step  toward  the 
Kaiserswerth  establishment  was  taken.  On  May  30th, 
of  this  memorable  year,  articles,  by  which  the  Verein, 
or  Society  of  the  Provinces  of  the  Rhine  and  West- 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  229 

phnlia  was  formed,  were  si^med  in  the  house  of  Count 
Anton  of  Stolberg.  On  October  13th,  the  lower 
story  of  the  house  obtained  by  Fliedner  for  an  Hos- 
pital was  furnished  as  well  as  it  could  be  with  the 
poor  material  which  had  been  sent  in  for  the  purpose. 
A  week  later,  in  response  to  Fliedner's  appeal  for 
deaconesses,  came  Gertrude  Reichardt  (1788-18G9), 
of  Ruhort.  She  was  a  woman  of  true  piety  and  rare 
executive  ability.  As  the  daughter  of  a  physician, 
and  his  frequent  assistant,  she  brought  to  this  field 
of  work  the  gifts  and  experience  which  were  urgently 
needed.  In  this  consecration  of  her  life  to  purely 
benevolent  work,  we  have  the  beginning  of  that  dea- 
coness' movement  which  has  filled  the  G  erman  world 
with  its  blessings.  By  July,  1895,  932  sisters,  though 
laboring  in  widely=separate  fields,  called  Kaiserswerth 
their  home,  w^hile  connected  with  it  there  are  at  home 
and  abroad  about  seventy  Mother  Houses  which 
have  sprung  into  existence  from  the  impulse  given 
by  the  work  of  Fliedner,  in  which  are  not  far  from 
9,000  deaconesses,  who,  with  true  Christian  devotion 
are  now  pursuing  their  helpful  calling.  They  are  at 
work  in  780  hospitals,  168  homes  for  the  poor  and 
feeble,  125  orphan  houses,  48  nurseries,  20  homes  for 
the  reclamation  of  fallen  women,  16  industrial  schools, 
50  establishments  for  the  training  of  servant  girls, 
80  establishments  for  the  weak-minded  and  epileptic, 
2  asylums  for  the  insane,  2  for  the  blind,  39  Magda- 
leniums,  9  prisons,  7  boarding  houses,  or  hospices, 
451  schools  for  little  children,  and  as  pastors  assistants 
in  1,017  iparishes.  Sixty-three  of  these  mother  houses 
were  represented  at  the  Kaiserswerth  Conference  in 
1891.     These  Mother  Houses  are  in  a  certain  sense 


230  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

affiliated,  and  yet  are  entirely  independent  of  each 
other  in  government  and  procedure.  Less  than 
twelve  only  of  kindred  establishments  were  not 
rei)resented  in  the  Conference.  The  united  income 
of  these  various  Homes,  so  far  as  can  be  ascertained, 
is  about  9,500,000  marks  annually.  This  represents 
the  earnings  of  the  establishments  themselves,  as  well 
as  the  gifts  which  are  made  to  them. 

Deaconesses  from  Kaisers werth  are  now  at  work  in 
220  places,  and  in  every  part  of  the  world.  In  their 
Hospitals  they  care,  every  year,  for  more  than  60,000 
patients,  to  say  nothing  of  those  brought  in  for 
temporary  treatment.  They  have  rendered  splendid 
service  in  times  of  war,  even  upon  the  battle=field, 
and  in  epidemics  such  as  cholera,  typhus,  scarlet 
fever,  and  measles.  In  Hospitals  under  their  own 
care,  in  those  belonging  to  the  State,  and  in  more 
than  2,500  private  homes,  they  are  a  blessing  and  a 
help  and  comfort  to  those  whom  they  serve. 

The  main  object  which  Fliedner  had  in  mind  was 
not  the  mere  alleviation  of  bodily  distress,  the  care  of 
prisoners,  or  persons  who,  neglected  in  their  own 
poverty-stricken  homes  or  in  Hospitals,  were  wast- 
ing away  for  lack  of  proj)er  attention,  but  to  re- 
vive and  deepen  spiritual  life.  In  the  Christian 
women  of  the  Church  he  saw  an  unused  force  which 
he  heard  the  command  of  God  to  employ.  He  there- 
fore made  the  institution  at  Kaiserswerth,  first  of  all, 
a  i^lace  where  those  who  were  willing  to  serve  God  as 
deaconesses,  should  be  prepared  for  their  high  call- 
ing by  instruction  in  the  principles  of  their  religion, 
and  by  the  discharge  of  duties  which  would  strength- 
en their  faith  in  God.     With  Fliedner,  the  religious 


TBE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  231 

motive  was  the  prevailing  motive,  as  it  has  been  with 
his  deaconesses.  These  deaconesses  are  sent  out  into 
world  to  preach  a  Gospel  of  regeneration.  Promise 
of  reform  is  never  made  except  to  those  who  are  will- 
ing to  seek  a  new  life  through  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  by  a  hearty  acceptance  of  His  principles. 

As  Kaiserswerth  has  borne  so  prominent  a  part 
in  the  newly=awakened  spiritual  life  of  the  German 
people,  it  will  be  of  interest  to  trace  its  growth  from 
the  arrival  of  that  discouraged  prisoner  who,  in  1833, 
found  narrow  yet  sheltering  quarters  in  the  little  gar- 
den house  of  a  poor  pastor,  up  to  its  present  pro- 
portions. Dr.  Julius  Disselhoff,  its  Director  and  his- 
torian, is  the  authority  whose  statements  are  here 
followed.  These  are  found  in  a  little  book  jiublished 
by  him  in  1893, 

The  steiD  which  really  committed  the  Fliedners  to 
the  work  of  their  lives  was  the  purchase  (A^Dril  20, 
1836)  of  a  house  for  an  HosiDital.  Behind  them  finan- 
cially was  the  Rhenish  Society,  already  mentioned, 
in  whose  name  the  property  was  obtained,  and  by 
which  it  was  held.  In  order  to  bring  the  work  into 
close  connection  with  the  Church,  it  was  decided  at 
the  outset  that  the  Synod  of  the  Evangelical 
Churches  in  the  provinces  of  the  Rhine  and  West- 
phalia should  manage  it,  and  be  responsible  before 
the  world  for  the  property  which  might  accumulate 
at  Kaiserswerth.  The  Synod  names  the  Committee, 
of  which  the  president  of  the  Synod  is  ex  officio  a 
member,  and  whose  chairman  represents  Kaisers- 
werth in  courts  of  law,  and  in  the  Government  or 
matters  which  concern  the  Church.  The  charter  de- 
sired was  obtained  in  1846.    The  Committee  appoints 


282  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMNAY 

the  Inspector,  who  is  always  a  minister,  and  the 
deaconess,  who  is  looked  upon  as  the  female  head  of 
the  establishment.  Each  special  department,  as  it 
has  grown  up  around  the  original  House  of  Refuge 
and  Hosjntal,  has  its  own  chief,  although  all  are  re- 
sponsible to  the  Inspector  and  the  deaconess  associ- 
ated with  him  in  the  control  and  direction  of  the 
institution.  Fliedner  and  his  wife  were  the  first  to 
fill  these  offices  of  house-parents. 

The  house-father  and  mother  are  set  apart  for  their 
office  with  solemn  ceremonies  by  the  Committee 
responsible  for  the  whole  work.  Although  the  Com- 
mittee purchases  the  property,  decides  upon  repairs 
and  necessary  improvements,  makes  and  fills  new 
offices,  it  cannot,  save  as  its  advice  is  sought,  inter- 
fere in  the  direct  management  of  the  work.  In  the 
so-called  daughter-houses  the  establishments  which 
in  imitation  of  Kaiserswerth  have  here  and  there 
sprung  up,  no  other  title  is  given  the  deaconess  en- 
trusted with  the  management  of  each  institution  than 
that  of  sister-in^charge.  In  Kaiserswerth,  every  sis- 
ter is  made  to  feel  that  she  has  a  home  to  which  in 
illness  or  age  she  can  return,  either  for  rest,  or  to 
spend  the  remaining  years  of  life.  The  spirit  in 
Kaiserswerth,  and  its  related  homes,  is  a  family 
spirit 

There  is  a  religious  service  in  every  Home,  and  a 
daily  order  of  life  which  is  the  same  in  the  mother 
and  daughter  establishments.  The  atmosphere  in 
them  all  is  an  atmosphere  of  love  shown  in  devoted 
service.  Candidates  for  reception  into  any  of  these 
homes  must  be  unmarried,  although  widows  under  a 
certain  age,  and  without  children,  are  not  excluded. 


TEE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  2SS 

These  candidates  must  be  in  good  health,  and  possess 
the  moral,  intellectual  and  spiritual  gifts  which  the 
calling  they  propose  to  follow  demands.  Only  those 
between  18  and  36  years  of  age  are  received.  Parents  or 
guardians  give  their  consent  in  writing,  while  pastors 
and  other  influential  persons  add  their  commendation. 
The  candidate  must  come  voluntarily,  and  consent  to 
pass  through  a  period  of  probation  long  enough  to 
test  her  fitness  for  her  proposed  life-work.  First  of 
all,  there  is  a  six  weeks'  trial,  in  order  that  the  young 
woman  and  her  advisers  may  have  opportunity  to  de- 
cide, from  something  like  actual  experience,  if  it  be 
worth  while  for  the  candidate  to  enter  upon  the  real 
probationary  period.  When  the  decision  is  favorable, 
the  candidate  is  assigned  to  a  deaconess  suited  by 
disposition  and  experience  to  receive  her,  and  is 
brought  by  her  into  close  and  intimate  relations  with 
fifteen  or  twenty  of  the  inmates  of  the  house.  This 
is  in  order  that  separation  from  former  friends  may 
not  at  first  be  too  keenly  felt.  If  for  any  reason  the 
result  of  the  six  weeks'  trial  is  unfavorable,  the  candi- 
date quietly  returns  home  and  nothing  more  is  said. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  first  year's  probation  the 
candidate  is  put  under  the  care  of  a  sister,  who  ia 
known  as  the  teacher  of  probationers,  from  whom  she 
learns  the  duties  she  is  to  discharge,  and  by  whom 
she  is  introduced  to  those  who  are  to  be  her  most 
intimate  associates.  Any  failures  in  her  education 
are  carefully  looked  after.  The  first  year  the  sisters' 
dress  is  not  worn.  It  is  sufficient  if  during  this  year 
the  candidate  habituates  herself  to  the  life  of  the  in- 
stitution, makes  it  wholly  her  own,  and  is  actually  at 
home  in  it.     The  close  of  the  year  is  usually  marked 


23i  CHlitSTIAy^  LIFS  7xV  GERMANY 

Ijy  some  little  festival  of  congratulation,  v/bicli  server, 
as  a  stepping=stone  to  the  service  of  the  second  year. 
The  novitiate  does  not  always  end  with  a  second 
year;  the  probationary  period  may  be  extended  at 
the  pleasure  of  the  authorities  of  the  Home.  With 
the  beginning  of  the  second  year,  the  dress  of  a  sis- 
ter is  assumed,  and  the  person  wearing  it  may  accom- 
pany the  deaconesses  in  their  work  outside  the  Home, 
or  remain  in  it,  as  she  may  elect.  At  the  end  of  the 
novitiate,  the  candidate  is  solemnly  set  apart  as  a 
deaconess,  and  promises  to  obey  the  rules  of  the 
House,  and  to  be  true  to  God  in  the  service  ux)on 
which  she  enters.  She  takes  no  vow  which  binds 
her  permanently  to  the  life  of  a  deaconess,  although 
it  is  understood  that  only  obligations  to  parents,  or 
the  feeling  that  she  ought  to  marry,  will  release  her 
from  it.  She  retains  the  control  of  her  private  prop- 
erty, and  is  free  to  dispose  of  it  by  will  as  she  pleases. 
Of  3,091  persons  received  on  trial  during  the  years 
1836-1893,  1,389  became  deaconesses.  From  1836  to 
1895,  only  185  deaconesses  died,  a  fact  suggestive  of 
the  care  which  is  taken  of  their  health,  and  of  the 
efforts  made  to  render  their  life  pleasant  and  at- 
tractive. 

There  are  two  classes  of  deaconesses:  (1)  those 
who  care  for  the  sick,  who  are  usually  in  Hospitals, 
and  (2)  those  who  teach.  To  the  former  class  belong 
those  who  work  in  Magdalen  Asylums,  and  in  such 
institutions  as  the  New  Charity  in  Berlin.  Ordinarily 
the  sister  goes  wherever  she  is  directed  although  no 
sister  leaves  Germany,  save  with  her  consent.  In 
the  care  of  male  patients  in  Hospitals,  she  is  fur- 
nished a  male  assistant  for  such  offices  as  she  cannot 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  235 

properly  discharge.  Her  dress  is  the  simple  dress  of 
her  order.  This  the  Home  furnishes,  as  it  furnishes 
also  a  little  pocket  money  for  necessary  expense.  For 
her  labor,  those  who  are  able,  pay  a  small  sum  to  the 
Home,  but  she  herself  receives  nothing.  From  the 
poor  nothing  is  asked.  Pupils  in  the  schools  are 
charged  a  small  sum  for  tuition,  and  those  who  are 
trained  as  teachers  or  servants,  pay  enough  to  meet 
the  expense  of  their  board.  The  accounts  of  the  dif- 
ferent Homes  are  kept  separately'',  but  all  are  care- 
fully examined  and  audited. 

At  the  beginning,  the  important  princii)le  was  rec- 
ognized that  if  the  work  were  of  the  Lord,  it  would 
grow,  and  that  department  after  department  would 
necessarily  be  added,  as  calls  for  them  might  come. 
Up  to  1840,  two  additions  had  been  made  to  the 
building  first  purchased  as  an  Hospital.  Subsequently 
these  additions,  as  well  as  the  building  itself,  gave 
XDlace  to  a  building  far  larger  and  in  every  way  more 
convenient.  These  improvements  were  completed  in 
1843,  and  still  another  house  was  added  during  the 
year.  In  1854,  was  founded  the  Feierabendhaus,  or 
Home  of  those  deaconesses  who  had  done  their  work 
in  life,  and  were  waiting  the  Master's  call  to  enter 
into  rest. 

By  the  year  1886,  when  Kaiserswerth  celebrated  its 
fiftieth  anniversary,  there  were,  in  addition  to  the 
original  house,  which  had  been  built  over  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  deaconesses,  and  in  which  they 
had  their  sleeping^rooms,  dining=halls,  chapel,  and 
rooms  for  administration,  together  with  wards  for  the 
sick,  several  large  groups  of  other  buildings,  each 
one  of  which  had  been  erected  in  response  to  a  de- 


236  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

mand  which  could  not  be  set  aside.  On  the  Frond- 
berg,  an  elevation  at  no  inconvenient  distance  from 
the  house  first  occupied  by  Fliedner,  are  the  build- 
ings containing  210  beds,  now  used  for  an  Hospital. 
In  the  Hospital,  children  and  adults  have  separate 
wards,  while  there  are  wards  also  for  cases  which 
ought  to  be  isolated.  Here  is  the  new  Church,  which 
was  consecrated  November,  1888.  Adult  patients 
are  received  for  75  j)ennies  a  day  (less  than  20  cents), 
children  for  50  pennies  a  day  (less  than  12  cents). 
The  buildings  were  not  completed  till  1889. 

Since  the  work  at  Kaiserswerth  began  while  Flied- 
ner was  still  visiting  the  prisons  at  Dusseldorf,  where 
his  attention  had  frequently  been  directed  to  the 
needs  of  released  female  convicts  and  the  demand  for 
an  Asylum  for  penitent  women,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  his  work  for  the  rescue  of  women  was,  and  con- 
tinued to  be  prominent.  The  house  obtained  for  this 
Asylum,  after  the  garden  house  had  become  too 
small,  has  been  enlarged  again  and  again,  till  now  it 
furnishes  shelter  for  from  twenty  to  thirty  girls  daily. 
The  theory  entertained  from  its  opening  has  been 
that  only  those  can  be  helped  who  come  to  the  Asy- 
lum of  their  own  accord.  Those  who  do  come,  and 
are  willing  to  stay,  are  taught  useful  work.  When 
necessary,  as  it  generally  is,  they  receive  instruction 
in  the  rudiments  of  learning.  They  are  encouraged 
in  every  way  possible,  and  after  a  suitable  time  spent 
with  the  sisters,  are  aided  in  finding  a  permanent 
home  with  sympathetic  people.  Not  less  than  one== 
third  of  those  received  have  been  restored  to  an  up- 
right life,  another  third  has  been  greatly  aided,  while 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  237 

the  remaining  third  has  unhappily  gone  back  to  a 
life  of  sin. 

A  very  important  part  of  Fliedner's  work  was  the 
opening  of  a  Seminary,  or  Normal  School,  for  the 
training  of  young  women  as  teachers  in  the  Public 
and  the  Girl's  Schools  of  Germany.  In  this  signifi- 
cant departure  from  the  prevailing  custom  of  employ- 
ing male  teachers  chiefly,  Fliedner  led  the  way.  As 
early  as  1833,  he  had  opened  a  knitting  school  for 
little  children,  and  to  it  in  the  next  year,  children 
of  all  religious  beliefs  were  made  welcome.  Then 
came  a  school  of  all  grades  for  girls,  and  finally  a 
Seminary,  in  which  teachers  for  these  schools  could 
be  trained.  Very  soon  this  Normal  School  acquired  a 
reputation  as  one  of  the  best  in  the  region,  and  its 
graduates  were  in  great  demand.  Nor  has  this  de- 
mand for  the  Fliedner  pupils  ever  ceased,  for  the  pu- 
pils have  been  taught  those  things  which  promise  to 
be  of  most  use  in  life.  They  have  been  educated,  as 
Germans  often  say,  for  their  calling  in  life.  In  re- 
ceiving pupils  into  the  Higher  School  for  Girls, 
daughters  of  teachers,  ministers,  and  of  the  educated 
of  the  middle  class  are  favored.  A  certain  number 
of  orphans  are  received  free;  others  are  admitted  at 
half  price.  The  monthly  pay,  including  board,  is  for 
the  elementary  schools  36  marks  ($9),  and  for  those 
of  a  higher  grade,  45  marks  ($11.25). 

Out  of  the  experiences  which  came  to  Fliedner  in 
these  schools  grew  the  conviction  that  an  Orphan 
House  must  be  added  to  the  establishment.  In  this 
provision  was  made  for  the  needy  daughters  of  par- 
ents   who    had  once  been  in  good   circumstances, 


238  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

daughters  of  teachers,  ministers,  and  men  employed 
in  the  service  of  the  State.  Fully  a  quarter  of  the 
forty  children  received,  are  educated  gratuitously. 
The  new  Home  now  stands  on  the  Himmelreich,  not 
far  from  the  buildings  on  the  Frondberg. 

Early  in  his  work,  the  sympathy  of  Fliedner  went 
out  to  inscme  women,  who  up  to  this  time  had  been 
greatly  neglected.  His  desire  was  to  secure  a  Home 
for  them  where  they  might  be  properly  cared  for,  and 
be  under  the  Christian  influence  of  the  deaconesses. 
In  this  effort  Frederick  William  IV.  of  Prussia  took 
a  deep  interest  and  with  his  private  funds  aided  it 
generously  in  realizing  its  object.  The  Asylum,  for 
such  it  really  was,  was  opened  in  1852.  At  first  it 
could  accomodate  only  from  35  to  40,  but  thirty  years 
later  an  enlarged  building  was  put  up  on  the  Johan- 
nesberg,  where  it  is  surrounded  with  beautiful 
grounds.  In  the  same  parkdike  region  is  a  building 
for  convalescents,  and  another  for  those  whose  ail- 
ments seem  to  defy  treatment.  On  what  is  known  as 
the  Paul  Gerhardt  Foundation,  there  has  been  erect- 
ed a  building  in  which  aged  and  feeble  women  who 
have  been  left  alone  in  life  find  a  home.  This  de- 
partment of  Fliedner's  work  has  not  been  placed  on 
a  wholly  charitable  basis.  While  intended  chiefly  for 
those  somewhat  advanced  in  years,  a  few  young  wom- 
en are  received.  Those  who  wish  two  rooms  pay 
1,500  marks  annually,  those  who  are  content  with  one, 
1,000  marks,  while  to  those  who  are  willing  to  share 
their  room  with  another,  600  marks  are  charged.  Some 
sleep  in  a  dormitory  and  pay  only  300  marks  a  year. 
For  these  sums  everything,  save  washing  and  cloth- 
ing, is  provided. 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  239 

To  meet  a  growing  demand  for  tlio  education  of 
young  women  who  are  looking  toward  the  life  of  a 
deaconess,  but  are  too  young  to  enter  upon  the  noviti- 
ate, a  preparatory  school  was  opened  in  1865.  The 
number  admitted  at  any  one  time  is  limited  to  twenty. 
Here  those  who  have  been  compelled  to  live  in  places 
at  once  unpleasant  and  unfavorable  to  spiritual  devel- 
opment are  received.  The  school  has  more  than  met 
the  anticipations  of  its  founders,  and  as  far  as  possi- 
ble  its  atmosphere  has  been  that  of  a  loving  father's 
house. 

In  addition  to  the  buildings  thus  briefly  mentioned, 
there  are  administration  buildings,  and  houses  in 
which  some  of  the  officials  of  this  great  establishment 
reside.  All  cluster  around  the  original  Hospital 
opened  by  Fliedner  in  1836.  In  their  gradual  in- 
crease  and  improvement  we  can  see  what  God  can  ac- 
complish in  a  single  generation  through  one  man's 
energy  and  consecration.  Fliedner  never  looked  up- 
on his  work  as  anything  more  than  an  objectdesson 
for  piety  and  benevolence  to  observe  and  study. 
Through  his  provision  for  the  sick,  the  helpless,  the 
homeless,  for  orphans,  for  the  infirm,  the  aged,  the 
insane,  and  the  incurable;  in  his  schools,  for  the  educa- 
tion of  little  children,  young  ladies,  and  teachers,  and 
for  the  life  of  a  deaconess,  he  simply  indicated  what 
might  be  done  in  other  places,  and  by  other  pastors,  to 
save  material  which  would  otherwise  be  lost,  or  be  in- 
efficient in  the  service  which  many  Christians  desire  to 
render.  In  this  work  he  felt  that  he  could  do  nothing 
except  with  the  aid  of  deaconesses.  Hence  his  contin- 
ual devotion  to  that  feature  of  his  work,  and  the  care 
he  took  to  keep  it  in  the  foreground. 


240  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Kaisers werth  was  fortunate  both  in  its  founder  and 
in  the  woman  who,  as  Fliedner's  wife,  became  its  first 
spiritual  mother.  This  good  lady  died  suddenly  in 
1842,  but  her  place  was  taken  a  year  later  by  Caroline 
Bertheau,  who  had  had  large  experience  in  the  hos- 
pitals of  Hamburg.  She  was  a  woman  of  great  abili- 
ty, thorough  consecration,  and  was  loved  and  honored 
by  all  who  were  brought  under  her  influence.  She 
survived  her  husband,  who  died  October  8,  1864,  till 
1892,  and  thus  was  able  to  continue  his  influence  down 
to  a  very  recent  period. 

A  glance  at  the  work  in  periods  will  indicate  its 
increasing  hold  on  the  public.  At  the  end  of  the 
first  ten  years,  deaconesses  were  employed  in  fifteen 
Hospitals  and  five  other  places.  Out  of  108  in  all, 
thirty  were  still  in  their  novitiate.  Ten  years  later, 
there  were  244  sisters,  and  75  on  trial,  serving  the 
needy  in  59  difiFerent  localities.  At  the  death  of 
Fliedner,  415  were  ministering  to  the  wants  of  their 
fellow  creatures  in  110  different  places.  At  the  time 
of  the  Jubilee,  1886,  715,  with  176  still  on  trial,  were 
laboring  in  200  Hospitals,  Asylums,  private  homes, 
and  schools.  In  1893,  867  sisters,  206  with  their 
novitiate  incomplete,  were  at  work  in  233  varied 
charges. 

From  the  opening  of  Fliedner's  house  to  the  first 
deaconess,  till  nov/,  nearly  seveniy  mother-Jwiises 
have  come  into  existence,  sex3arated  from  each  other 
as  widely  as  Syria  and  America.  Connected  with 
them, as  has  been  said,  is  an  army  of  hardly  less  than 
9,000,  whose  energy  is  exerted  in  a  truly  Christian 
spirit,  and  with  almost  matchless  wisdom,  in  the  care 
of  the  sick,  the  recovery  of  the  lost,   and  the   educa- 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  2il 

tion  of  the  ignorant.  The  special  providence  of  God 
has  been  shown,  not  less  in  the  character  and  wisdom 
of  the  persons  who  have  had  charge  of  the  different 
departments  of  this  varied  work,  than  in  the  devotion 
and  gifts  of  those  who  have  taken  upon  themselves 
the  vows  and  responsibilities  of  the  order.  Equally 
remarkably  has  this  providence  been  exemplified  in 
the  friends  raised  up  for  the  work  at  Kaiserswerth, 
and  in  other  sections  of  Grermany,  as  well  as  in  for- 
eign lands.  Nearly  everywhere  in  Germany  have 
Societies  been  formed  for  the  support  of  these  Dea- 
coness Homes,  and  for  their  enlargement  as  their  work 
has  demanded.  This  fact  is  not  only  indicative  of 
the  interest  which  the  Christian  public  has  mani- 
fested in  the  deaconesses  as  such,  but  is  prophetic  of 
the  increasingly  large  place  which  women  are  to  fill 
in  the  development  of  the  power  of  the  German 
Church  in  the  future. 

At  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  the  work,  it 
became  evident  that  for  the  deaconesses,  as  well  as 
for  the  inmates  of  the  different  homes  which  were 
clustering  around  Fliedner's  at  Kaiserswerth,  a 
health  resort  in  the  mountains  was  necessary.  For 
many,  a  complete  change  of  air,  scenery  and  mode  of 
life,  seemed  to  be  indispensable.  In  answer  to 
prayer,  accompanied  always  with  the  use  of  means,  a 
suitable  place  was  found  at  Salem,  near  Batengen. 
Here  are  rooms  for  twenty  sisters.  On  the  same 
X)iece  of  ground,  but  so  far  removed  from  the  rest- 
ing-place of  the  deaconesses  as  not  to  disturb  them, 
buildings  have  been  put  up  in  which  orphans,  con- 
valescents, and  servants  from  Kaiserswerth,  en- 
joy their  annual  outing. 


242  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Wallbaum  House,  near  Hattingen  on  the  Ruhr,  is 
also  used  as  a  health  resort.  Under  the  terms  of  the 
will  by  which,  in  1874,  this  property  came  into  the 
possession  of  the  Kaiserswerth  establishment,  there 
was  to  be  built  upon  it  an  asylum  for  convalescent 
children.  These  are  bo  cared  for  as  in  no  way  to  in- 
terfere with  the  comfort  of  the  deaconesses.  Provis- 
ion is  here  made  for  about  a  hundred  children,  and 
thirty  deaconesses. 

Mere  hints  must  suffice  as  to  what  these  Kaisers- 
werth sisters  have  wrought  in  the  "  daughter  estab- 
lishments "  found  here  and  there  throughout  the 
country.  In  1849,  in  response  to  earnest  and  re- 
peated solicitations,  Fliedner  opened  a  home  for 
orphan  girls  at  Altdorf,  near  Pless,  in  Upper  Schlesia. 
In  consequence  of  the  fatalities  connected  with  the 
prevalence  of  the  typhus  fever  in  1847-8,  and  the 
lack  of  food,  Count  and  Countess  von  Stolberg 
brought  together  on  their  estate  about  120  children 
in  the  upper  story  of  a  building  which  had  been  de- 
signed for  a  stable.  Subsequently,  the  Prince  of 
Pless  had  the  first  story  of  the  building  also  arranged 
for  their  comfort.  The  whole  house,  with  a  good 
sized  barn,  and  the  proper  out=  buildings,  in  August 
1849  was  turned  over  to  the  Committee  which  had 
Kaiserswerth  in  charge.  At  first,  thirty  four  half- 
starved  children  were  received  as  permanent  inmates 
of  the  new  asylum.  So  dulled  by  disease  and  want 
of  proper  food  were  they  that  for  months  it  vras  al- 
most impossible  to  awaken  in  their  minds  interest  in 
anything.  After  the  cholera  season  of  1852,  the 
number  rapidly  increased  to  eighty.  Soon  after  the 
war  of  1866,  the  number  increased  to   one   hundred. 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  2i3 

The  average  in  the  Asylum  is  now  about  eighty,  the 
children  being  nearly  all  from  very  poor  families. 
Four  deaconesses  look  after  the  children's  health, 
and  two  give  them  instruction.  From  the  more  than 
500  girls  who  have  hero  been  taught,  fed  and  clothed, 
some  have  become  excellent  servants,  others  have 
married,  while  a  considerable  number  have  become 
deaconesses. 

A  school  for  the  education  and  training  of  girls 
from  the  middle  and  higher  classes,  was  founded  at 
Hilden,  near  Dtisseldorf,  May  15,  1861,  and  has  more 
than  justified  the  anticipations  of  its  patrons. 
When  Fliedner  opened  this  school,  in  a  rented  house 
with  a  small  garden  attached,  he  was  not  sure  that 
there  was  a  demand  for  the  sort  of  school  he  had  in 
mind.  But  the  school  grew  rapidly,  and  in  October, 
18G5,  the  commodious  and  convenient  buildings  now 
occupied  were  dedicated  amid  the  liveliest  manifes- 
tations of  pleasure  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  the 
city  and  the  friends  of  Kaiserswerth.  More  than 
sixty  girls  board  in  the  institution,  at  a  cost  of  750 
marks  each  a  year.  Half  as  many  day  scholars  also 
enjoy  its  advantages.  To  meet  the  spiritual  wants  of 
the  pupils,  a  chaplain  devotes  his  time  to  them,  and 
on  Sunday  conducts  divine  service  in  a  room  set 
apart  for  the  purpose.  To  supplement  the  instruc- 
tion given  by  eight  deaconesses,  two  male  and  two 
female  teachers  are  employed.  The  number  of 
young  women  educated  here,  who  come  from  all  over 
the  continent,  as  well  as  from  Great  Britain,  is 
already  more  than  1,500.  A  close  union  between  the 
graduates  of  the  school  and  its  teachers  has  been 
kept  up  from  the  first, 


2U  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

A  very  different  work  from  this  was  begun  at 
Marthashof,  in  North  Berlin,  in  1851 — namely  a 
home  for  servant  girls  of  Evangelical  faith.  The 
purpose  was  to  provide  a  home  at  a  small  cost,  about 
five  cents  a  day,  and  a  training  school  for  such  as 
needed  special  instruction  before  going  out  to  serv- 
ice. The  charge  for  training  was  fixed  at  ten  cents 
a  day.  For  the  sake  of  those  who  wished  to  fit  them- 
selves to  take  care  of  little  children,  a  school  was 
opened  for  the  needy  little  ones  of  the  neighborhood. 
This  school  has  continued  till  now,  with  an  attend- 
ance of  about  200.  In  the  free,  or  public  school, 
opened  soon  after,  and  still  maintained,  there  are 
about  600  pupils.  Provision  was  made  for  twelve 
girls  and  three  deaconesses.  At  first  there  w^as  a 
great  deal  of  opposition  to  the  undertaking:  it  was 
even  ridiculed  in  the  best  circles,  some  saying  that 
servant  girls  would  never  avail  themselves  of  its  priv- 
ileges, that  even  if  they  were  inclined  to  do  so,  it  was 
so  far  from  the  city  that  they  would  not  go  out  to  it. 
But  they  did,  and  in  two  years  the  number  of  rooms 
in  use  had  been  doubled.  In  1868,  the  entire  court, 
occupied  by  the  training  house,  the  home,  and  the 
schools,  together  with  the  houses  and  gardens  belong- 
ing to  it,  was  purchased.  In  the  latter  year  there 
were  on  an  average  98  girls  in  the  home.  At  present, 
the  number  is  not  less  than  140,  for  whose  care  and 
instruction  the  services  of  thirteen  deaconesses  are 
required.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  home  has 
become  popular,  both  with  servants  and  their  em- 
jjloyers.  Since  its  opening  not  less  than  20,000,  or 
about  1,000  a  year,  have  here  found  a  temporary  abid- 
ing place.     From  as  many  as  3,000  families  in  a  sin- 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  245 

gle  year  have  requests  come  for  servants.  The  girls 
have  been  permitted  to  do  a  large  part  of  the  work  of 
the  establishment,  and  in  this  way  have  lessened  the 
cost  of  their  stay  in  it.  To  it,  when  ill  or  out  of 
work,  they  are  always  welcomed  back.  Simply  on 
the  side  of  protection,  the  Mission  has  been  of  ines- 
timable value. 

A  similar  work,  though  on  a  smaller  scale,  is  car- 
ried on  in  the  Mariannenstift,  at  Erefeld.  Two  sis- 
ters began  work  here  in  1884,  in  buildings  provided 
by  a  benevolent  lady.  These  in  time  proved  far  too 
small,  and  in  1888,  the  home  was  enlarged  and  re^ 
dedicated.  Forty-five  girls  are  now  cared  for  in  the 
training  school.  For  ten  of  the  inmates,  while  seek- 
ing a  place  for  service  there  are  temporary  lodgings 
provided.  A  pressing  want  has  also  been  met  in  a 
boarding  house  for  young  women.  This  has  proved 
both  a  protection  to  those  enjoying  its  shelter  as 
well  as  a  source  of  profit  to  those  managing  it. 
During  the  year  1892,  106  girls  were  received  under 
its  roof.  In  the  day  school  for  little  children,  there 
are  about  80  puj)ils,  while  the  Sunday  school  is 
attended  by  170  pupils  of  both  sexes.  Five  deacon- 
esses find  here  all  that  they  can  do. 

An  asylum  for  erring  ivomev,  at  Brandenberg, 
which  has  been  in  existence  since  October  1856,  was, 
in  August,  1865,  turned  over  to  Kaiserswerth,  and 
three  deaconesses  were  detailed  for  its  management. 
A  fourth  deaconess  was  soon  added.  From  twenty 
to  thirty  women  immediately  came  to  the  shelter  of 
this  friendly  home  each  day,  and  many  were  per- 
suaded and  helped  to  return  to  an  honorable  life. 
The  average  number  in  the  now  enlarfjed  and  im- 


246  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

l^roved  home  is  more  than  thirty.  Funds  for  the 
support  of  the  institution  have  been  provided  by  a 
Society,  whose  members  either  themselves  contribute 
the  sum  necessary,  or  obtain  it  from  their  friends. 

No  statement  of  Fliedner's  service  to  mankind 
would  be  complete  which  should  overlook  his  influ- 
ence outside  of  Germany.  As  early  as  1847,  Bishop 
Gobat  was  anxious  for  a  Kaiserswerth  Hospital  in 
Jerusalem,  but  not  till  1850-51  were  funds  provided 
for  its  sux)port.  During  the  latter  winter,  Fliedner 
visited  the  Holy  City,  taking  with  him  four  deacon- 
esses, to  whom  the  oversight  of  the  Hospital  was 
assigned.  The  house  which  Frederick  William  IV. 
had  set  ax)art  for  the  purpose  was  too  small,  and  in 
other  ways  unfit  for  it.  A  dwelling  house  was  finally 
obtained  on  Mount  Zion,  and  was  dedicated  May  4, 
1851.  The  Hospital  was  open  to  persons  of  all  na- 
tionalities and  beliefs.  The  confidence  of  the  people, 
soon  won,  has  never  been  lost.  In  1855,  a  school 
for  little  girls  was  opened  on  the  flat  roof  of  the 
building  in  which  the  sisters  had  their  home.  Throe 
years  later,  over  thirty  girls  Avere  in  attendance  as 
regular  pupils.  Meanwhile  better  and  larger  build- 
ings had  been  secured  for  the  Hospital.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1868,  "  Talitha  Cumi,"  a  home  for  girls  on  the 
JafPa  road,  outside  the  walls  of  the  city,  was  dedica- 
ted and  occupied,  and  the  buildings  within  the  city 
used  for  the  sick.  This  year  there  were  eighty=nine 
girls  in  the  school,  while  the  Hospital  was  full  to 
overflowing.  In  1867,  a  special  physician  was  ob- 
tained for  the  Hospital,  and  from  four  to  five  deacon- 
esses were  constantly  employed  in  it.  Eight  deacon- 
esses now  look  after  the  113  Arab  girls  in  the  school. 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  247 

Many  native  girls  have  been  trained  for  general 
benevolent  work  in  the  country,  and  to  be  useful 
heads  of  their  own  homes.  Never  were  Hospital  and 
school  more  useful  than  they  are  to-day,  but  the 
funds  needed  for  their  support  are  still  inadequate. 

As  far  back  as  1853,  two  deaconesses  opened  a 
school  in  a  rented  house  in  Smyrna,  where  neither 
language  nor  custom,  nor  even  climate,  was  under- 
stood. By  the  end  of  the  year,  the  number  of  girls 
receiving  instruction  had  increased  from  14  to  50. 
A  year  later,  through  the  favor  of  a  person  of  very 
high  standing,  these  sisters  were  occupying  their 
own  home.  Here  they  were  able  to  receive  a  few 
scholars  as  boarders,  in  addition  to  their  day  pupils, 
and  to  extend  the  curriculum  of  study  and  thus  bo- 
gin  a  training-school  for  young  women.  New  build- 
ings in  consequence  became  necessary.  In  1859,  150 
girls  were  under  instruction.  The  building  in  which 
the  sisters  taught,  had  been  built  especially  for  them 
and  was  admirably  adapted  to  their  needs.  Then  a 
fire  came,  and  everything  had  to  be  begun  anew. 
With  great  labor,  and  at  a  large  expense  the  new 
buildings  were  ready  for  occupation  by  the  end  of 
1861,  and  the  work  again  went  prosperously  forward. 
Reviewing  what  had  been  done  in  1882,  it  was  found 
that  fully  2000  girls  had  been  educated  in  these  schools. 

The  sufferings  caused  by  the  cholera,  in  1865, 
made  the  need  of  an  orphan  house  apparent.  The 
next  year  a  place  was  ready  for  twenty = four  orphans. 
In  1872,  a  second  house  was  obtained,  and  used  for  a 
school  till  1876,  when,  yielding  to  pressing  necessi- 
ties, rooms  were  this  year  opened  for  the  blind  and 
those  troubled  with  diseases  of  the  eye. 


2i3  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

In  1890,  after  the  Armenians  and  the  Greeks  of 
Smyrna  had  provided  for  the  instruction  of  their  chil- 
dren in  their  own  language,  and  the  deaconesses  could 
look  upon  their  mission  as  teachers  as  successfully 
accomplished,  it  was  decided  to  make  the  school  they 
had  hitherto  kept,  a  school  for  German  girls  alone, 
and  in  addition  to  instruction  in  other  branches, 
to  give  them  careful  instruction  in  English,  French, 
and  Greek.  For  German  families  residing  in  the 
Levant,  this  school  has  become  a  great  blessing. 
The  health  resort  for  Smyrna  is  at  Karatasch,  on  the 
sea. 

A  Deaconess'  Hospital  was  opened  in  Alexandria, 
Egypt,  in  1858.  It  was  opened  at  the  earnest  re- 
quest of  the  Europeans  living  in  the  city.  Here,  as 
at  many  other  i^laces,  Fliedner  found  that  more 
money  was  needed  than  he  had  anticipated.  Thanks 
to  the  generosity  of  those  who  saw  the  need  of  the 
Hospital,  funds  were  at  length  obtained,  so  that  ten 
years  later  a  comfortable  building  had  been  secured, 
and  furnished  with  all  the  needful  appliances  of  a 
first= class  Hospital.  On  an  average,  from  sixty  to 
seventy  patients  in  the  v/ards  require  the  services  of 
eleven  deaconesses.  As  many  as  50,000  persons  a 
year  have  here  been  treated  for  affections  of  the  eye. 
In  1880,  a  school  for  little  children  was  opened  and 
taught  by  a  deaconess  till  relieved  by  a  woman  who 
had  herself  been  educated  in  one  of  the  seminaries 
which  the  missionaries  had  supported. 

So,  in  consequence,  in  part,  of  the  excitement  in 
Europe,  occasioned  by  the  massacre  in  Syria  of  1860, 
an  orphan  house  was  this  year  opened  in  Beirut,  and 
early  in  October  of  that  year  two  deaconesses  were 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  249 

on  tlie  ground.  By  the  end  of  the  month,  four 
others  had  reported  for  duty,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
year  ten  were  employed  in  a  house  whic;h  meanwhile 
had  been  rented  and  was  unexpectedly  filled  with 
widows  and  orphans.  A  second  house  was  secured 
in  order  that  the  children  might  be  separated  from 
the  women  and  be  unhindered  in  their  studies.  The 
house  had  two  large  gardens,  and  was  near  the  sea. 
By  Christmas,  1860,  130  orphans  were  present  in  the 
Home  to  receive  presents,  and  to  learn  the  meaning  of 
the  festival  they  were  taught  to  keep.  As  it  was 
neither  possible  nor  desirable  to  send  these  Arab 
girls  back  to  the  villages  from  which  they  had  fled, 
and  as  the  mothers  of  many  of  them  could  never  be 
found,  it  was  decided  that  an  attempt  should  be 
made  to  secure  a  Home  for  them  on  the  slopes  of 
Lebanon.  In  March,  1862,  their  Home  was  ready  for 
occupation;  it  was  named  Zoar,  in  commemoration  of 
the  deliverance  which  had  come  to  its  inmates. 
Here,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  eight  sisters  have 
given  instruction  in  the  German  and  Arabic  lan- 
guages to  about  130  girls.  The  Zoar  Union,  whose 
members  live  in  the  East,  has  been  of  great  service 
in  raising  funds  for  the  support  of  the  work  at  Zoar, 
as  well  as  in  the  city  of  Beirut,  where,  in  1862,  a 
boarding  school  of  a  high  order  was  oxDened  for  girls 
whose  parents  were  well  to  do.  Here  nine  deacon- 
esses and  several  female  teachers  are  constantly  em- 
ployed. The  profit  from  this  branch  of  the  work 
meets  some  of  the  deficiencies  in  other  departments 
of  it.  Up  to  1879,  there  was  room  for  only  80  girls, 
but  with  the  needed  increase  in  buildings  secured, 
120  are  now  receiving  instruction.     Divine  service  is 


250  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

held  in  the  prayer  hall  of  the  school  for  the  Germans 
who  reside  in  the  city.  The  health  resort  for  this  re- 
gion, and  for  visitors  from  Jerusalem  and  Egypt,  is  in 
the  pleasant  little  village  of  Araya,  high  up  on  Lebanon 
and  commanding  a  charming  view  of  the  city  and 
bay.  Here  reside  a  deaconess  and  an  orphan  trained 
in  the  Asylum,  to  care  for  the  guests  during  the 
heated  season,  and,  during  the  winter,  to  teach  the 
children  of  the  village. 

Out  of  respect  for  the  English  residents  who  con- 
tributed generously  toward  its  equipment,  the 
Hospital  in  Cairo  is  named  after  Queen  Victoria. 
Opened  as  late  as  1882,  with  only  two  deaconesses  in 
charge,  it  has  since  proved  as  useful  as  has  been  the 
Hospital  in  Alexandria.  It  has  rooms  for  isolating 
those  afflicted  with  contagious  diseases.  In  a  single 
year  25,000  cases  of  eye^affection  have  been  treated. 
The  Hospital  has  forty=four  beds  and  is  open  to  all 
without  regard  to  faith  or  nationality.  Such  benevo- 
lence has  not  been  without  its  efifect  even  on  the 
Mohammedans,  The  income  here  has  been  slightly 
in  excess  of  expenditure. 

Since  1860,  the  deaconesses  have  had  a  school  for 
the  training  and  education  of  young  girls  in  Florence. 
For  some  years  its  growth,  though  steady,  was  un- 
obtrusive. At  present  about  120  girls  are  receiving 
instruction,  most  of  them  from  the  better  classes, 
chiefly  Italians.  There  are  twenty  boarders,  for 
whom  there  is  adequate  room.  The  esteem  in  which 
the  school  is  held  is  shown  by  the  privilege  granted  it 
of  visiting  the  Pitti  Gardens  when  they  are  closed  to 
the  public. 

In  all  the  establishments  thus  far  mentioned,  with 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  251 

the  single  exceiDtion  of  the  New  Charity  Hospital,  in 
Berlin,  work  is  done  in  connection  with  Kaisers- 
werth.  As  daughfer-hoiises,  they  are  subject  to  the 
regulations  which  control  the  inmates  of  the  Mother 
House,  and  their  inmates  are  expected  to  exhibit 
the  same  spirit  of  love  for  the  needy,  and  of  consecra- 
tion to  the  service  of  the  Heavenly  Father  as  in  the 
case  of  those  in  the  Home  on  the  Rhine, 

A  great  deal  of  work  is  done  in  various  Hospitals 
not  under  the  control  of  deaconesses,  a  work  which  is 
done  at  the  request  of  the  proper  authorities,  and  in 
accordance  with  their  wishes.  Five  deaconesses 
serve  constantly  in  the  Hospital  of  the  Knights  of 
St.  John,  Beirut.  Others  serve  in  Rome,  Constanti- 
nople, Bucharest,  London,  and  New  York.  Some 
are  at  work  in  the  City  Hospitals  at  Elberfeld,  Frank- 
furt=on4he=Main,  Kircheim,  and  Teck,  in  Wurttem- 
berg,  and  in  Berlin,  whore  in  the  New  Charity,  nine 
deaconesses  look  after  the  120  to  130  erring  women 
who  are  brought  into  it  every  day.  Since  1844,  they 
have  also  aided  pastors  in  carrying  on  the  work  of 
their  parishes,  and  have  been  of  very  great  assistance 
in  City  Missions. 

Summarily  stated,  Kaiserswerth  deaconesses  are 
engaged  in  seven  mother-houses  in  jBfty=four  Hospi- 
tals, in  twenty-one  houses  for  providing  work  for,  or 
taking  care  of,  the  sick  and  poor,  in  four  health 
resorts,  in  seventy  parishes,  in  many  Unions,  or  So- 
cieties, formed  for  the  benefit  of  servant  and  working 
girls,  in  thirty=two  schools  for  the  education  and 
careful  training  of  orphans,  in  forty-one  schools  for 
little  children,  in  eight  schools  for  servant  girls,  in 
connection  with   which   is  an  agency   for    securing 


252  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

places  for  them,  and  in  two  industrial  schools.  As 
private  nurses  they  are  everywhere  in  demand.  To 
appeals  for  service  in  the  homes  of  the  rich,  response 
is  made  only  when  other  appeals  have  been  met. 

Many  women  who  have  been  unable  or  unwilling 
to  take  the  full  preparatory  course  required,  or  to 
assume  the  vow  demanded,  but  are  yet  in  full  sym- 
pathy with  the  deaconesses  and  the  management  of 
their  homes,  are,  to  a  certain  extent  and  under  recog- 
nized conditions,  permitted  as  associate  sisters  to 
share  in  the  work  of  the  deaconesses.  Those  who 
spend  some  time  in  the  novitiate,  but  who  for  various 
reasons  deem  it  unwise  to  complete  it,  exercise  a 
salutary  influence  as  Christian  women  in  the  homes 
in  which  they  reside.  To  a  far  greater  extent  than 
would  at  first  be  realized  is  the  influence  of  the  dea- 
coness' movement  felt.  As  a  Christian  movement, 
wholly  in  the  interest  of  the  people,  and  of  the  most 
needy  among  them,  it  has  left  its  impress  on  fields 
not  directly  cultivated  by  it,  and  has  determined  very 
largely,  both  the  direction  and  the  spirit  of  Christian 
efifort  among  and  in  behalf  of  the  German  people. 

Akin  to  the  service  they  render,  and  to  the  spirit 
which  animates  them,  to  the  great  establishments  and 
order  of  deaconesses,  yet  fewer  in  number  and  less 
influential,  are  the  Homes  in  which  the  deacons,  or  as 
they  are  more  generally  called  in  Germany  the 
"  brothers,"  are  trained  for  work  in  the  Inner  Mission. 

Special  emphasis  is  put  on  the  kind  of  service  ren- 
dered, as  well  as  upon  its  form.  For  the  former  the 
word  "  deacon,"  as  used  in  the  New  Testament,  is  the 
more  appropriate;  for  the  latter  the  word  "brother." 
Although  in  the  New  Testament  Church  the  deacon 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  253 

did  not  fail  to  preach,  the  chief  duly  of  his  office  was 
care  for  the  poor.  In  the  Primitive  Church  ho  was  a 
simple  helper  of  the  presbyter  and  bishop,  but  in  the 
course  of  a  few  centuries,  as  the  number  of  the 
deacons  increased,  he  became  a  member  of  the  clergy. 
As  the  Church  did  not  cease  to  be  benevolent  when 
the  diaconate  ceased  to  be  the  channel  through  which 
its  gifts  for  the  needy  flowed,  there  sprang  up  natur- 
ally in  the  Middle  Ages,  brotherhoods  and  sister- 
hoods, as  of  the  Common  Life,  to  take  the  place 
which  the  employment  of  deacons  as  preachers  had 
left  vacant. 

When  Wichern,  of  the  Rough  House,  and  Fliedner, 
of  Kaiserswerth,  under  the  pressure  of  the  need  which 
their  great  work  revealed,  revived  the  ancient  order  of 
deacons,  or  brothers,  it  was  with  the  purjjose  of  making 
it  representative  both  of  the  service  rendered  the  poor 
in  primitive  times,  and  of  the  benevolent  associations 
of  the  Middle  Ages.  They  did  not  intend,  save  to  a 
very  limited  degree,  to  employ  these  men  as  preach- 
ers, or  to  make  them  officers  of  the  Church.  They 
were  to  be  heljpers  of  the  Churches,  administrators  of 
gifts  entrusted  to  them  by  the  benevolent,  friends 
and  assistants  of  the  poor  and  helpless.  Their  special 
mission  was  to  members  of  the  National  Church. 
They  were  to  save  those  who  had  been  baptised  and 
confirmed,  but  either  had  drifted  away  from  the 
Church,  or  were  in  danger  of  doing  so.  This  work 
was  to  be  preventive  as  well  as  benevolent. 

The  kind  of  service  in  which  they  engage  is  varied. 
They  give  instruction  to  children  who  otherwise 
would  be  without  it,  and  through  the  instrumentality 
of  Houses  of  Refuge  they  rescue  those  who  have  fallen 


251  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

into  sin.  They  labor  also  in  Or^jlian  Houses,  in  houses 
where  those  who  are  suffering  from  contagious 
diseases  are  gathered;  and  have  special  duties  in 
Hospitals  and  in  establishments  which  care  for  the 
feeble  minded,  and  the  insane.  They  are  moreover 
sent  to  Houses  of  Correction,  and  to  the  great  Prisons 
of  the  Empire.  They  are  attached  to  what  are  known 
as  the  Arbeitercolonien,  or  places  where  the  man 
who  is  out  of  work  can  go  for  a  time,  earn  his  support, 
and  from  them  as  a  j)oint  of  departure,  go  out  to 
secure  the  employment  he  desires.  They  are  com- 
missioned also  to  scattered  communities  of  Germans 
in  foreign  lands.  One  of  their  special  duties  is  the 
management  of  the  inns  found  in  almost  every  large 
town,  where  the  poor  for  a  small  sum  find  lodging, 
food,  and  shelter  for  a  night,  and  where  they  are  sure 
of  receiving  sympathy  if  in  distress,  and  assistance  if 
they  are  fighting  against  intemperance,  or  any  other 
sin  of  the  flesh.  Every  year  witnesses  an  enlarge- 
ment of  the  kind  of  service  which  these  brothers, 
with  their  wives,  are  rendering  their  fellowsmen. 
They  are  now  doing  a  great  deal  of  City  Mission  work. 
The  following  list  of  Brother  Houses,  taken  from 
Schilfer  (pp.  225-6),  will  be  of  interest: 

1.  The  Rough  House  at  Horn,  near  Hamburg, 
established  by  Wichern  in  1833,  now  under  the  care 
of  his  son.  This  is  the  largest  House  of  the  kind  in 
Germany,  and  has  served  as  a  model  for  other  Houses 
to  follow. 

2.  The  House  at  Duisburg,  organized  by  Fliedner, 
in  1845,  where  the  inmates  give  special  attention  to 
the  care  of  the  sick. 

3.  The  House  at  Ziillchow,  near  Stettin,  founded  in 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  255 

1850  by  G.  Jahn,  and  controlled  by  him  till  his 
death  in  1888,  when  it  came  under  the  management 
of  his  son.  This  is  the  only  House  in  Germany 
which  is  not  under  the  control  of  a  pastor.  It  is 
supported  chiefly  by  gardening  and  other  industrial 
occupations. 

4.  The  House  at  Reinstedt,  in  the  Hartz,  founded 
in  1850  by  Philip  von  Nathusius,  now  under  the  care 
of  pastor  Kobelt.  This  House  is  united  with  very 
large  Idiot  and  Epileptic  Asylums,  in  which  its  in- 
mates work. 

5.  The  so=called  Johannesstift  in  Berlin,  founded 
by  Wichern  in  1858,  as  a  copy  of  the  Rough  House 
at  Hamburg,  and  now  managed  by  Pastor  Phillips. 

6.  The  Stefansstift  near  Hannover,  founded  in 
1869,  and  still  led  by  Pas+or  Fricke. 

7.  Obergorbitz,  near  Dresden,  founded  in  1873, 
and  led  by  Pastor  Hohne. 

8.  Carlshohe,  near  Ludwigsburg,  founded  in 
1876,  and  under  the  care  of  Pastor  Halm. 

9.  The  Brother  Establishment  at  Bielefeld,  a  part 
of  the  great  institutions  there  called  into  life  by  the 
indefatigable  Pastor  von  Bodelschwingh.  This 
House,  founded  in  1877,  is  under  the  special  charge 
of  Pastor  Stilrmer. 

10.  In  East  Prussia  there  is  the  House  at  Carls- 
hof,  near  Rastanburg,  founded  in  1883  by  Pastor 
Dr.  Dembowsky,  and  still  under  his  care. 

11.  The  House  at  Kraschnitz,  near  Militsch,  in 
Schlesia,  is  the  latest  addition  to  the  benevolent  es- 
tablishments for  deaf  and  dumb,  and  for  deaconesses 
founded  by  Count  von  der  Recke.  This  House  is  led 
by  Pastor  Tachel. 


256  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

12.  The  House  at  Nurenberg,  founded  in  1890  by 
Pastor  Rcindel,  and  still  in  his  hands. 

13.  The  House  at  Basel,  managed  by  Pastor 
Stahel. 

14.  The  House  at  Haarlem,  led  by  Pastor  Zegers, 
and  known  as  the  deacons'  establishment  (Meer  en 
Bosch). 

The  related  establishments  are  as  follows: 

1.  One  at  Beuggen,  near  Basel,  founded  in  1822  by 
Zeller  and  Si^ittler,  now  under  the  care  of  Spittler's 
nephew.     In  this  House  teachers  are  trained. 

2.  There  is  a  similar  House  at  Lichtenstern,  in 
Wtirttemberg,  founded  in  1836  by  Zeller,  and  now 
controlled  by  Pastor  Schlitter. 

3.  A  third  House,  situated  in  Wiirttemberg,  was 
opened  in  1845  by  Pastor  Sayler,  and  is  still  con- 
ducted by  him. 

4.  At  Krischona,  near  Basel,  there  is  a  Home 
founded  by  Spittler  in  1840,  now  under  the  care  of 
Rappard,  in  w^hich  x^ersons  are  trained  for  service  in 
connection  with  the  Inner  Mission,  or  for  work 
abroad. 

5.  At  Neuendettelsau,  in  Bavaria,  there  is  a  Sem- 
inary in  which  preachers  are  educated  for  North 
America  and  Australia.  The  seminary  was  founded 
as  some  say  by  Lohe,  in  1842,  but  was  brought  into 
active  operation  by  F.  Bauer  in  1846.  Recently  it 
has  assumed  the  support  of  a  mission  to  the  heathen. 

6.  The  Bugenhagensstiff,  at  Ducherow,  founded 
in  1866  by  Rosenstedt,  is  a  prei3aratory  school  for 
those  who  propose  to  enter  the  foreign  missionary 
field. 

7.  There  is  also  a  Seminary  for  the  training  of 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  257 

preachers  for  Nortli  America  at  Kropp,  in  Schleswig, 
under  the  care  of  Pastor  Paulsen, 

8.  Pastors  Jensen  and  Buhrmann  haA^e  a  Seminary 
with  a  similar  object  at  Brechlum,  near  Bredstedt, 
in  the  same  province. 

Two  establishments  originally  founded  as  Brother^ 
Houses  are  now  Houses  of  Refuge,  viz.,  one  at  Dussel- 
thal  near  Dusseldorf,  founded  in  1820  by  Count  von 
der  Recke,  but  now  managed  by  Pastor  Karsch;  the 
other  at  Puckenhof,  near  Erlangen,  founded  in  1853, 
and  controlled  by  teacher  Michel. 

Since  1876  these  various  Brother^ Houses  and  Sem- 
inaries have  united  themselves  into  a  Conference 
which  meets  at  stated  times  for  the  discussion  of  the 
subjects  which  come  before  them  in  their  various 
fields  of  Christian  activity. 

As  has  been  hinted  in  the  above  enumeration, 
each  establishment  has  its  special  leader,  or  head 
(Vorsteher),  who,  with  rare  exceptions,  is  a  pastor. 
Associated  with  him,  and  really  exercising  control 
over  the  entire  establishment,  is  a  Committee  care- 
fully selected  from  those  who  have  contributed  the 
funds  for  the  House,  or  otherwise  made  its  w^ork 
possible. 

Those  who  seek  to  enter  one  of  these  Houses  in 
order  to  be  trained  as  a  deacon  or  a  brother,  must  be 
between  twenty  and  thirty  years  of  age,  sound  in 
body  and  mind,  blameless  in  life,  free  from  military 
duty,  and  possessed  of  the  gifts  which  are  indispen- 
sable to  success  in  their  chosen  occupation.  They 
must  1)6  unmarried,  and  may  not  even  be  engaged. 
Proof  of  sincere  Christian  character  must  also  be  pre- 
sented. The  course  of  instruction,  which  begins  in  ear- 


258  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

nest  after  a  period  of  probation  which  itself  often  lasts 
several  months,  usually  occupies  three  years.  It  is 
of  a  threefold  nature:  religious,  for  the  deepening, 
strengthening,  and  broadening  of  the  spiritual  life 
already  begun;  general,  consisting  of  instruction  in 
reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  book-keeping,  com- 
IDOsition;  and  professional.  The  latter  relates  to 
the  nature,  purpose,  and  extent  of  the  entire  work 
carried  on  under  the  comprehensive  name  of  Inner 
Mission. 

While  these  Houses  are  not  permanent  Homes  for 
those  trained  in  them,  as  are  the  Homes  in  which 
deaconesses  are  instructed,  any  brother  can  return  to 
them  when  in  difficulty,  for  advice  and  such  assistance 
as  he  may  need  against  those  who  would  take  advan- 
tage of  him,  or  for  aid  in  obtaining  new  employment. 
Ordinarily,  the  contract  which  he  makes  with  his  em- 
ployers wdien  he  enters  upon  his  w^ork,  is  drawn  up 
by  the  head  of  his  House.  No  brother  assumes  a 
vow,  or  is  obliged  to  continue  a  brother  any  longer 
than  he  pleases.  Everything  is  voluntary.  Some 
who  wish  to  engage  in  the  work  done  by  the  brother- 
hoods, but  who  for  various  reasons  have  not  taken 
the  prescribed  course  of  training  are,  if  competent, 
received  as  voluntary  associates.  Of  these  the  num- 
ber is  quite  large. 

Of  great  importance  in  the  training  of  a  brother  is 
the  spirit  of  the  House  in  which  he  lives,  its  method 
of  living,  its  traditions,  its  history,  its  rules,  its  re- 
ligious services,  and  the  festivals  it  observes.  Often 
the  House  has  its  own  religious  service  on  Sundays, 
though  not  infrequently  its  inmates  worship  in  the 
Church  nearest  them.    Of  special  importance  is  the 


THE  FORCES  EMPLOYED  259 

spirit  of  the  man  who  leads  the  House,  and  is  respon- 
sible for  the  atmosphere  which  pervades  it.  In  near- 
ly all  cases  there  is  training  in  agriculture,  in  gar- 
dening and  the  care  of  flowers,  in  the  management  of 
cattle,  and  in  various  kinds  of  handicraft.  Indeed, 
no  one  is  received  into  the  establishment  at  all  who 
cannot  supjoort  himself  by  his  personal  labor. 
Everything  is  practical,  the  aim  being  to  fit  each  in- 
mate for  the  greatest  possible  usefulness  as  a  follower 
of  Christ.  While  all  receive  instruction  in  vocal 
music,  a  few  are  carefully  trained  in  instrumental 
music.  This  is  regarded  as  of  great  importance  for 
those  who  as  keepers  of  inns,  visitors  of  the  sick  and 
the  fallen,  and  workers  in  City  Missions,  will  fre- 
quently be  called  upon  to  lead  in  the  service  of  song. 
The  inn  keeper,  for  example,  is  ex^Dected  to  gather 
his  guests  about  him  night  and  morning  for  devotion. 
Those  who  enter  these  Houses,  are  for  the  most 
part,  peasants,  carpenters,  hand=v/orkers  of  some  sort, 
small  tradesmen,  shop=keepers,  and  teachers.  They 
are  j)eople  who  have  not  had  great  advantages  in 
the  way  of  education,  or  of  social  opportunities, 
but  whose  simple  manner  of  life,  earnest  piety, 
and  natural  gifts  fit  them  for  the  service  they  de- 
sire to  undertake.  Through  their  efforts,  a  vast 
amount  of  good  has  already  been  accomplished;  and 
with  the  rapid  growth  of  Sunday  schools,  Young 
Men's  Christian  Associations,  City  Mission  and 
Evangelistic  work,  their  opportunity  for  usefulness 
must  greatly  increase. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  SOCIAL  AND  MORAL  CONDITION   OF  GERMANY 
SINCE  THE  ACCESSION  OF  WILLIAM  I. 

Observers  who  are  pessimistic  by  nature  see  in  the 
changes  introduced  during  the  last  thirty-five  years 
nothing  which  they  can  apijrove.  In  their  eyes  the 
influence  of  the  Empire  has  been  morally  and  spirit- 
ually disastrous.  It  is  doubtful,  they  often  affirm, 
if  the  military  strength  acquired  by  the  consolidation 
of  the  German  provinces  has  been  of  real  economic 
value  to  the  people.  In  the  old  days  the  peasants 
were  better  off  and  less  discontented  than  they  now 
are.  Artisans  received  better  wages,  at  least  relative- 
ly to  the  cost  of  living.  Manufacturers  and  the  larg- 
er land-owners  were  more  prosperous.  Their  rela- 
tions with  employes  were  more  intimate  and  friendly 
than  in  these  days  of  keen  competition  and  social  un- 
rest. For  a  generation,  at  least,  life  in  Germany,  on 
its  moral  and  spiritual  side,  has,  according  to  the 
pessimists  been  losing  its  former  vigor. 

Optimists,  on  the  other  hand,  although  admitting 
that  changes  have  occurred  which  have  brought  with 
them  no  little  suffering,  and  which  call  for  new  eco- 
nomic and  even  new  political  adjustments,  are  sure 
that  improvement  in  all  directions  has  been  steady, 
with  the  promise  of  permanence.  They  do  not  for- 
get   the    growth    of  Social  Democracy  during  the 

260 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  2G1 

period  under  review,  nor  do  they  close  their  eyes  to 
the  anxiety  its  rapid  increase  among  the  laboring 
classes  of  the  cities,  and  even  in  the  country,  has 
caused  the  most  thoughtful  and  patriotic  men  in  the 
Nation.  They  say  that  this  growth  has  apparently 
reached  its  limit.  From  it  there  is  now  really  noth- 
ing to  fear.  Its  criticisms  have  done  good.  They 
have  called  attention  to  evils  which  will  soon  be 
removed.  Even  the  National  Churches,  which  form- 
erly were  neglectful  of  their  responsibility  to  the 
poor,  are  rousing  themselves  to  their  duty  in  this 
direction,  and  were  never  in  better  spiritual  condi- 
tion than  now.  Ministers  are  everywhere  alive  to  the 
serious  moral  and  social  problems  of  the  day,  and 
are  studying  them  with  all  the  thoroughness  which 
characterizes  the  scholarship  of  the  German  special- 
ist. 

Gifts  for  missions,  foreign  and  domestic,  are  in- 
creasing every  year.  Certain  large  cities  like  Leipzig 
excepted,  attendance  at  Church  has  increased  during 
the  last  decade.  This  is  due,  in  part,  to  a  livelier 
interest  among  the  people  themselves  in  the  things 
for  which  the  Church  stands,  and  in  part  to  the  inter- 
est the  Eoyal  Family  shows  in  the  religious  welfare  of 
the  Empire.  This  interest  in  the  Royal  Circle  makes 
itself  manifest  in  regular  attendance  on  divine  wor- 
ship, in  unwonted  energy  in  the  building  of  new  and 
the  repairing  of  old  Church  edifices,  in  the  care  taken 
to  be  on  the  right  side  of  every  moral  question,  and 
in  the  use  of  all  possible  means  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  the  poorest  and  weakest,  as  well  as  of  the 
richest  and  strongest,  among  the  people.  Compar- 
ing present  conditions  with  those  which  prevailed  at 


262  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

the  beginning  of  the  century  under  Rationalism,  or 
at  the  middle  of  the  century  when  Idealism  had 
largely  lost  its  power  and  Materialism  had  taken  its 
place,  that  is,  when  the  work  of  the  Inner  Mission 
was  almost  entirely  in  the  future,  optimists  say  there 
has  been  a  real  and  permanent  advance,  both  in  the 
apprehension  and  in  the  application  of  Christian 
principles. 

Perhaps  it  would  be  nearer  the  truth  to  affirm  that  in 
the  changes  which  have  occured  during  this  transition 
period  there  has  been  much  of  good  and  no  little  of 
evil.  In  some  localities,  evil  seems  to  have  gotten  the 
mastery;  in  others  it  is  easy  to  perceive  that  good  is 
in  the  ascendancy.  Undoubtedly  in  industrial  and 
mining  centers  the  cleavage  between  the  classes  which 
labor  and  those  who  employ  them  was  never  so  wide  as 
at  present.  Those  who  form  the  under=side  of  society, 
the  proletariat,  feel  more  keenly  than  they  did  thirty* 
five  years  since  the  misery  of  their  condition.  Social 
Democratic  leaders  have  drawn  the  contrasts  between 
poverty  and  wealth  so  sharply  that  only  the  blind 
can  fail  to  see  them.  As  wealth  and  intelligence  are 
by  these  leaders  made  responsible  for  the  existence 
of  poverty  and  the  sorrows  it  brings  with  it,  it  is  not 
strange  that  bitterness  of  feeling  should  be  created, 
and  that  out  of  sheer  desperation  and  hatred  against 
those  more  fortunate  than  themselves  vice  and  crime 
among  the  poor  should  increase.  It  has  been  part  of 
the  Social  Democratic  plan  to  antagonize  the  Church, 
not  only  as  a  religious  institution,  but  as  an  institution 
of  the  State,  and  consequently  an  agency  of  oppres- 
sion. 

It  is  through  Social  Democratic  speeches  and  liter- 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  263 

ature  that  much  of  the  present  hostility  among  the 
poor  to  the  services  of  the  Church  and  its  ministers  is 
due.  Desi)ite  this  fact,  it  is  more  than  probable  that 
the  hostility  will  finally  be  overcome,  and  that  these 
now  alien  hosts  will  be  won  back  to  the  only  institu- 
tion in  the  country  which  seeks  their  temporal  and 
spiritual  good.  The  saddest  feature  of  the  present 
situation  is  the  wide-spread  unbelief  among  the 
richer  and  welleducated  classes.  Sometimes  this  un- 
belief is  openly  expressed;  at  other  times  it  manifests 
itself  in  indifference  and  neglect.  Church  patrons 
seem  to  feel,  and  not  infrequently,  that  they  dis- 
charge their  whole  duty  to  the  Church  if  they  visit  it 
once  or  tv/ice  a  year,  in  connection  with  their  official 
obligations,  or  to  give  6clat  to  some  Church  festival. 

Yet,  taken  as  a  whole,  the  pulpit  has  never  been 
more  able  or  earnest  than  it  now  is.  Never  did  the 
Churches  throughout  the  Empire  seem  to  be  grow- 
ing more  rapidly  in  apparent  power  or  spiritual  life. 
Laborers  in  foreign  fields,  and  in  the  equally  difficult 
fields  at  home,  were  never  more  numerous  or  efficient. 
There  is  scarcely  a  social  or  moral  want  in  the  whole 
land  for  which  a  "  society"  designed  to  effect  its  remo- 
val, does  not  exist.  While  there  is  much  discussion  in 
learned  circles  as  to  many  objects  hitherto  held  as 
sacred,  the  rank  and  file  of  those  who  belong  to  the 
National  Churches  of  Prussia  and  the  allied  Provin- 
ces are  soundly  evangelical.  Education,  industry  in 
all  its  branches,  social  relations,  the  administration 
of  justice,  the  methods  of  benevolent  activity,  were 
never  animated  by  a  more  truly  Christian  spirit  than 
at  present. 

To  show  the  truth  of  these  affirmations,  and  at  the 


264  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

same  time  make  plain  both  the  dark  and  the  bright 
side  of  the  picture,  we  shall  describe  as  briefly  as 
possible,  the  conditions  of  representative  sections  of 
the  German  i^eople  as  they  are  found  in  various  parts 
of  the  Empire.  In  doing  this  we  take  as  a  guide  the 
volume  on  the  moral,  religious,  and  social  develop- 
ment of  Germany  during  the  last  thirty=five  years, 
published  in  1895  at  Gtitersloh,  and  prepared  by  ex- 
perts of  the  higliest  standing.  This  work  is  edited 
by  Licentiate  Weber,  well  known  for  the  interest  he 
has  taken  in  social  questions,  and  for  the  part  he  has 
had  in  organizing  and  directing  the  discussions  of  the 
Social  Congress. 

To  discover  the  real  conditions  of  German  life  we 
must  study  carefully  its  characteristic  institutions. 
Of  these  one  of  the  most  fundamental  and  important 
is  the  home,  that  survival  of  paradise,  which,  as  is 
often  said,  has  resisted  the  destructive  influences  of 
sin.  Among  no  people  at  present  in  existence,  or  of 
which  we  have  any  record,  is  there,  or  has  there  been 
a  truer  appreciation  of  the  blessings  of  domestic  life 
than  among  those  who  belong  to  the  German  race. 
If,  since  the  Reformation,  a  student  of  German  soci- 
ety is  pointed  to  the  great  place  which  men  trained 
in  the  parsonages  of  Germany  have  filled  in  public 
life,  it  becomes  at  once  apparent  that  from  these  par- 
sonages there  have  gone  forth  influences  which  have 
made  themselves  felt  in  every  home  in  the  country. 
Even  more  than  in  the  pulpit  has  the  home  life  of  the 
pastor  been  a  source  of  blessing  to  his  parish.  The 
value  which  the  pastor  and  his  family  have  set  upon 
it  has  had  much  to  do  Y;ith  the  high  position  which 
the  family  occupies  in  the  minds  of  all  classes  of  the 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  265 

people.  It  would  almost  seem  as  if  the  German  wo- 
man had  received  a  special  endowment  from  her  Cre- 
ator for  the  place  she  fills  as  wife  and  mother.  That 
she  may  be  fitted  for  this  sovereignty  in  the  heart 
and  the  home  is  the  object  of  her  ambition  and  the 
aim  of  her  education.  To  those  who  are  familar  with 
rural  life  in  Germany,  nothing  is  more  beautiful  than 
the  attachment  which  unites  parents  and  children 
and  gives  to  the  word  home  an  almost  sacred  mean- 
ing in  their  minds. 

It  is  often  asserted  that  within  the  last  decade  the 
power  of  the  home  has  been  percei)tibly  weakened. 
It  is  no  longer  what  it  was  a  generation  since.  Chil- 
dren who  go  out  into  the  world  to  make  a  living  or 
obtain  a  fortune  for  themselves,  do  not  return  to  it  as 
they  once  did  as  a  place  of  rest,  joy  and  inspiration. 
It  has  ceased,  in  a  very  considerable  degree,  to  be  the 
source  of  moral  and  spiritual  life  for  the  nation.  No 
one  can  deny  that  the  home  has,  within  recent  years, 
been  compelled  to  contend  with  some  bitter  foes. 
The  economic  conditions  of  the  country  have  not 
been  favorable  to  peace  in  the  household.  It  has  been 
difficult  for  the  wage=earner  to  supply  the  wants  of 
those  dependent  upon  him.  Uncertainty  and  irregu- 
larity of  employment  have  often  separated  the  family, 
and  thus  weakened  the  tie  between  its  members. 
Long  hours,  no  Sunday  rest,  necessity  for  labor  on 
the  part  of  the  mother  and  the  elder  children,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  necessaries  of  life,  have  robbed 
the  home  of  many  of  the  attractions  it  had  in  earlier 
and  more  prosperous  times. 

An  open  and  x^ersistent  enemy  of  the  home  has  ap- 
peared in  the  Social  Democracy.     While  pretending 


266  CHRISTIAN'  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

to  be  greatly  shocked  at  marriages  for  money  or  con- 
venience, among  those  who  belong  to  the  wealthy 
and  educated  classes,  and  to  approve  those  only  which 
are  based  on  love,  Social  Democracy,  through  some 
of  its  prominent  leaders,  has  sought  to  undermine 
the  foundation  upon  which  the  home  is  built,  by  de- 
nying the  sanctity  and  permanence  of  the  marriage 
relation.  Not  only  have  these  leaders  advocated  di- 
vorce at  the  pleasure  of  the  parties  concerned,  but  the 
establishment  of  institutions  to  be  sustained  at  public 
expense  in  which  the  children  of  those  who  live  to- 
gether for  a  shorter  or  a  longer  period  shall  be  cared 
for,  and  educated  for  the  part  they  may  afterwards 
take  in  the  social  machine.  With  the  true  Social 
Democrat,  marriage  thus  becomes  a  matter  of  mere 
convenience  or  pleasure.  That  it  is  of  Divine  ajv 
pointment,  and  is  to  be  contracted  only  under  the 
sanctions  of  religion  he  neither  believes  nor  admits. 

Were  it  known  in  the  rural  districts,  where,  through 
the  advocacy  of  better  economic  conditions,  the  Social 
Democrat  is  now  trying  desperately  to  win  support- 
ers, that  he  is  really  an  enemy  of  the  home,  he  would 
hardly  obtain  a  hearing.  Even  to  better  his  income, 
the  peasant  is  not  ready  to  sacrifice  his  wife  and  his 
children.  Whatever  else  he  loses,  he  clings  to  his 
home.  So  strong  is  the  love  of  home  that  not  a  few, 
under  stress  of  poverty,  and  in  disregard  of  legal 
sanctions,  still  live  together  as  man  and  wife.  They 
have  no  thought  of  ever  separating  from  each  other. 
To  all  intents  and  purposes  they  are  truly  married. 
In  many  of  the  States  of  the  American  Union  this 
relation  would  be  legalized  under  the  common 
law,  though  in  Germany  it  cannot  be.      The  chil. 


Present  conditions  267 

dren  of  parents  who  fail  to  obtain  the  sanction  either 
of  the  State  or  of  the  Church  for  the  rehition  they 
occupy  to  each  other,  are  treated  as  illegitimate,  and 
are  reported  as  born  out  of  wedlock.  This  somewhat 
anomalous  relation  of  men  and  women  who  deem 
themselves  guilty  of  no  crime,  accounts  in  part  for 
the  very  large  percentage  of  so-called  illegitimate 
children  among  German^speaking  xDcoples.  Although 
these  children  are  baptised  and  confirmed,  a  slight 
difference  in  the  form  of  the  ceremony  often  affects 
the  recipients  unpleasantly.  With  the  best  of  inten- 
tions the  bond  is  hardly  so  strong  between  those  who 
thus  enter  upon  what  ought  to  be  marriage  relations 
for  the  sake  of  a  home,  and  out  of  v/hat  they  deem 
true  love,  as  if  it  had  been  formed  under  the  sanc- 
tions of  the  laws  of  man  and  God.  Often,  too,  the 
homes  thus  established  are  not  quite  what  they  would 
have  been  had  the  parents  been  more  respectful 
toward  social  and  Divine  requirements. 

Nor  are  even  the  homes  of  wealth  and  luxury,  of 
learning  and  position,  wholly  exemj)t  from  moral  dis- 
aster. Where  marriages  have  been  contracted  for  the 
sake  of  a  position  in  society,  to  increase  one's  income, 
or  to  unite  certain  families,  domestic  felicity  is  rare. 
That  homes  thus  formed  should  be  places  of  strife, 
that  marital  infidelity  should  be  frequent,  that  chil- 
dren should  be  neglected,  turned  over  to  servants, 
exposed  to  temptations  which  are  rarely  resisted,  or 
furnished  with  an  education  which  disqualifies  them 
for  the  real  duties  of  life,  is  only  what  ought  to  be 
anticipated.  No  home  can  be  what  it  should  be,  or 
exert  the  influence  on  its  inmates  which  it  is  de- 
signed to  exert,  where  divine  sanctions  and  divine 


266  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

commandments  are  disregarded.  In  general  this  is 
so  thoroughly  understood  throughout  Germany  that 
even  where  parents  are  somewhat  shaken  in  their  own 
faith,  they  seek  for  the  sake  of  their  children,  to  pre- 
serve religious  forms  and  cultivate  a  sjjirit  of  rever- 
ence toward  God  and  the  Church. 

Special  temptations  and  dangers  for  the  home  are 
made  greater  by  circumstances  for  which  those  to 
whom  they  come  are  not  responsible.  For  the  poor 
man,  not  only  has  the  difficulty  of  supporting  his 
family  endangered  the  happiness  and  stability  of  his 
home,  but  the  increasing  tendency  to  the  cities  in 
search  of  work,  or  in  the  expectation  of  higher  wages 
has  introduced  a  feeling  of  unrest  into  his  mind. 
This  tendency  is  aggravated  by  a  growing  desire 
to  change  one's  habitation  which  the  ease  and  cheap- 
ness of  railway  travel  help  to  gratify.  Prior  to 
1867,  in  certain  sections  of  the  country,  as  in  East 
Prussia,  one  could  not  leave  the  place  of  one's  birth 
save  with  the  consent  of  the  authorities,  and  after  the 
payment  of  an  emigration  tax.  One  was  also  compelled 
to  pay  for  the  privilege  of  settling  elsewhere.  Since 
that  year  men  can  go  where  they  please  and  work  for 
anyone  who  will  employ  them. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  government  officials  and 
military  men  live  wherever  duty  takes  them,  often 
apart  from  their  families.  Even  where  separation  is 
not  required,  a  frequent  change  of  home  has  many  dis- 
advantages. It  is  impossible  to  transport  from  one 
city  or  village  to  another  the  memories  which  cluster 
around  the  place  of  one's  birth,  to  find  in  a  hired 
house  many  of  the  pleasures  of  the  home  of  one's 
childhood.     What  is  the  new  home?     For  those  even 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  269 

v;ho  can  pay  a  respectable  rent,  often  only  a  few 
rooms  in  a  barrack=like  structure,  each  the  copy  of 
hundreds  of  others  near  it,  while  for  the  poor  it  is  a 
single  room  in  a  cellar,  or  under  the  roof  of  a  great 
apartment  house,  which  must  serve  at  once  as  kitch- 
en, parlor,  dining=room  and  bed=room  not  only  for 
parents  and  children,  often  grown  up  children,  but 
for  lodgers  also,  even  of  both  sexes.  Such  condi- 
tions among  the  jioor  were  formerly  more  frequent, 
one  is  glad  to  say,  than  they  are  now.  Even  yet 
they  are  not  unknown.  Where  quarters  are  more 
tolerable,  they  are  generally  in  those  sections  of  the 
city  which  are  chiefly  given  over  to  vice,  and  where 
children  are  brought  up  in  an  atmosphere  of  moral 
death. 

That  homes  may  not  be  entirely  without  individu- 
ality, those  whose  incomes  warrant  it,  have  been  en- 
couraged to  purchase  houses  in  the  suburbs  and  live 
there.  In  thousands  of  cases  this  has  been  done. 
Health  ofTicers  have  sought  to  secure  better  sanitary 
laws  for  the  city,  and  to  prevent  the  crowding  of 
many  persons  into  a  single  room.  Benevolent  men 
have  been  encouraged  in  their  efforts  to  furnish  ten- 
ements at  a  moderate  price,  in  which  ordinary  day 
laborers  may  live  and  enjoy  some  of  the  comforts  of 
a  home.  Many  who  are  neither  rich  nor  poor  have 
nevertheless  been  led,  on  account  of  the  increasing 
expense  of  living,  into  boarding  houses.  Hotel  life 
is  more  popular  than  it  once  was.  The  cost  of  main- 
taining a  household  has  prevented  many  fairly  welh 
to  do  men  from  marrying.  This  has  added  to  the 
number  of  women,  especially  in  the  higher  classes, 
who  are  compelled  to  live  single.     Yet  the  ideal  life 


270  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

in  the  mind  of  every  man  and  woman  in  Germany  is 
life  in  one's  own  home.  In  spite  of  the  vicissitudes 
to  which  the  home  has  been  exi30sed,  it  still  exists  in 
all  its  integrity,  its  central  authority,  the  German 
housewife,  the  recipient  both  of  honor  and  love. 
She  can,  if  she  will,  stick  to  her  old  customs. 
She  can,  if  she  will,  accompany  her  husband  and 
children  wherever  they  go  for  pleasure.  She  can 
make  the  home,  and  life  in  it,  for  every  member  of 
her  household,  with  rare  exceptions,  just  what  she 
desires.  If,  in  certain  localities,  parental  discipline 
is  less  rigorous  than  formerly,  if  the  introduction  of 
the  newspaxDer  into  the  home,  and  the  multiplication 
of  books  render  the  supervision  of  the  reading, 
whether  of  children  or  of  servants,  a  matter  of  great 
difficulty,  if  servants  are  less  frequently  treated  as  if 
they  belonged  to  the  household  than  they  once  were, 
and  are  therefore  left  to  find  amusement  where  they 
please,  and  in  what  society  they  please,  the  home  still 
remains  a  characteristic  feature  of  German  life.  Both 
among  the  high  and  the  low,  by  prince  and  peasant 
it  is  prized  above  most  other  possessions. 

It  would  be  strange  if  amid  the  social  and  indus- 
trial changes  of  a  generation,  such  as  that  which  has 
just  passed,  there  had  not  been  in  some  sections  of 
the  country  a  lowering  in  the  moral  tone  of  domestic 
life.  There  is  less  simple  piety  in  the  home  atmos- 
phere, and  less  attention  is  paid  than  one  might  ex- 
pect to  its  preservation.  At  this  one  should  not 
wonder.  Nor  is  it  so  easy  to  attend  Church  in  a 
strange  city,  whither  one  has  gone  simply  for  the 
Bake  of  work,  as  it  was  in  the  little  village  where  one 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  271 

was  born,  and  where  one  could  call  all  the  inhabi- 
tants by  name.  Neither  is  it  so  easy  to  find  time  for 
Bible  reading,  Christian  song  and  family  prayer, 
when  every  day  in  the  week,  Sunday  included,  is 
taken  up  in  work  from  sunrise  till  after  sunset,  as  it 
was  in  the  country,  where  many  an  hour  was  left  free 
for  the  purpose.  It  is  not  quite  so  easy  to  be  satis- 
fied with  the  tract  and  calendars  which  the  colpor- 
teur furnishes,  as  it  was  before  the  introduction  of 
socialistic  literature.  Papers  not  only  occupy  the 
attention  of  those  who  are  in  social  distress  because 
of  the  times  in  which  they  are  living,  but  novels  also, 
which  are  sometimes  vile  and  polluting,  though 
intensely  exciting,  and  written  avowedly  to  make  it 
clear  that  no  permanent  change  for  the  better  can  be 
hoped  for  till  in  a  great  social  revolution  the  favor- 
ites of  society  give  up  their  lives  and  their  posses- 
sions. That  in  the  face  of  these  trials  the  home  has 
preserved  its  place,  and,  with  few  exceptions,  is  as 
powerful  as  ever,  is  splendid  testimony  to  the  divin- 
ity of  its  origin,  and  to  the  strength  of  its  hold  on 
the  German  people.  Here,  as  in  other  Christian 
countries,  the  sentiment  prevails, 

"  Be  it  ever  so  homely, 
There  is  no  place  like  home." 

There  can  be  little  question  that,  in  general,  the 
influence  of  the  higher  classes  has  been  unfavorable 
to  Christian  life.  Wealth  has  largely  neglected  the 
Church  and  the  duties  of  the  Christian  religion. 
The  enormous  fortunes  which  a  few  possess,  the  in- 
creasing love  of  pleasure  everywhere  apparent,  and 
the  intense  desire  to  increase  gains  already  secured 


272  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

in  order  to  make  greater  display,  have  been  a  fearful 
strain  on  those  who  have  sought  to  retain  even  a 
nominal  connection  with  the  Church. 

Not  all,  one  may  thankfully  add,  have  given  them- 
selves uj)  to  material  things.  Some  manufacturers, 
like  Krupj),  have  spent  vast  sums  for  the  benefit  of 
their  employes;  and  in  providing  for  their  physical 
welfare  have  not  been  unmindful  of  their  intellectual 
and  spiritual  needs.  Others,  like  the  late  Baron  von 
Siemens,  have  sought  to  cultivate  kindly  relations 
between  themselves  and  those  in  their  service.  Alike 
in  the  country  and  in  the  city,  families  of  large  means 
and  thorough  culture  have  retained  a  simple  faith  in 
the  Gospel,  which  is  delightful  to  contemplate. 
Within  the  last  ten  years  all  agree  that  there  has 
been  a  steady  increase  in  attendance  at  Church  on  the 
part  of  the  higher  classes,  while  they  have  also  a 
deeper  interest  in  those  things  which  the  Church 
represents.  Still  the  dangers  from  wealth  and  the 
material  pleasures  which  it  often  emphasizes  have 
not  yet  passed  away,  even  if  we  are  warranted  in 
believing  they  may  pass  away  ere  long.  The  National 
Churches  have  not  been  able  to  meet  successfully  the 
terrible  temptations  to  which  the  country  was  exposed 
through  the  payment  of  the  French  indemnity  after 
the  v.'ar  of  1870-71,  and  through  the  immediate  circu- 
lation among  the  people  of  the  milliards  of  which  it 
was  made  up.  The  siDCculations  on  the  Bourse,  to 
which  the  introduction  of  so  much  money  into  the 
country  gave  rise,  proved  exceedingly  demoralizing, 
for  everyone  was  seized  with  a  sudden  desire  to  be- 
come rich.  Those  whose  previous  experiences  had 
taught  them  "  the  ins  and  outs  "  of  a  speculative  life, 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  273 

managed  to  secure  fortunes,  and  to  prepare  for  the 
crash  which  they  knew  must  eventually  come.     Mul- 
titudes were  ruined.     Jews,  whose  business  had  been 
stock  dealing  and  si^eculation,  could  hardly  fail  to 
reaiD  immense  harvests  of  gain.     This  increased  the 
hatred  which  had  previously  existed  against  them  and 
furnished  fuel  for  the  fires  of  anti=Semite  crusades. 
But  political  agitations  do  not  bring  back   material 
prosperity,  nor  do  they  feed  the  hungry.     When  all 
hope  of  obtaining  a  share  in  the  wealth  imagined  to 
be  v.ithin  their  reach,  had  vanished  from  the  minds 
of  the  people  as  a  whole,  when  it  was  seen  that  the 
financial  condition  in  which  they  were  left  was  worse 
than   that   which   had   existed  previous  to  the  war, 
complaints  began   to  be  heard  which  have  not  yet 
ceased.     One  need  not  be  surprised  at  the  growth  of 
the  Social  Democracy   when  its  leaders  affirm  that 
their  object  is  to  secure  better  economical  conditions 
for  the  laboring  classes,  and  to  punish  those  who  are 
thought  to  have  obtained  their  fortunes  unjustly,  and 
at  the  expense  of  the  people.     Physical  conditions 
have  often  been  indescribably  bad.     In  such  circum- 
stances one  cannot  expect  that   any    great    interest 
would  be  shown  in  religion.     Present  sufferings  cry 
out   for  alleviation.     The  life  that  now  is   must  be 
reudered  tolerable  before  attention   can  be  directed 
to  that  which  is  to  come.    Yet  every  day,  in  the  larger 
cities,  and  even  in  the  rural  districts,  side   by  side 
with  the  poverty  of  the  laboring  classes  one  meets 
ostentatious  displays  of  wealth  on  the  part  of  those 
who  make   slight    contributions    through    brain    or 
pocket  to  the  well-being  of  the  needy.     As  if  this 
were  not  enough  to  excite  jealousy  and  hatred  against 


274  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

the  dilettanti  rich,  their  pleasures,  and  the  aims 
they  ajjparently  cherish,  have  been  demoralizing 
alike  to  themselves  and  to  the  poor.  Setting  at 
nought  in  their  own  conduct  the  laws  of  God,  and 
turning  their  backs  upon  the  Church  and  its  ministry, 
they  have  furnished  an  example  which  the  hosts  of 
IDoverty  have  not  been  slow  to  imitate. 

But  even  more  serious,  at  least  among  the  middle 
classes,  than  the  unfavorable  influence  of  wealth,  and 
the  life  which  it  has  been  leading,  have  had  on  piety, 
is  the  influence  of  the  learned  classes.  The  attention 
which,  since  1860,  has  been  given  to  natural  science 
at  the  expense  of  subjects  more  intimately  concerning 
man,  has  led  many  of  those  pursuing  it  to  cherish 
materialistic  views  of  the  origin  of  the  world,  to  look 
upon  man  himself  as  a  development  from  mere  matter, 
and  to  think  of  his  soul  as  a  functional  part  of  the  body. 
If  at  the  beginning  of  the  century,  faith  even  in  the 
X)resence  of  Rationalism  was  strong  in  God,  in  immor- 
tality, and  in  virtue,  that  faith  has  constantly  grov/n 
weaker,  till  in  certain  circles,  especially  between 
1865  and  1880,  it  was  almost  entirely  given  up. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  period,  the  philosophy  of 
learning  and  of  wealth  was  that  of  Schopenhauer,  a 
philosophy  of  doubt  and  despair.  If  the  philosophy 
of  Edward  von  Hartmann,  which  to  some  extent 
replaced  it,  is  on  the  whole  an  improvement  upon 
that  of  Schopenhauer,  even  on  Hartmann's  theories 
life  is  hardly  worth  living.  With  minds  of  a  certain 
cast,  Schopenhauer  and  von  Hartmann  prepared  the 
way  for  a  revival  of  the  philosophy  and  asceticism  of 
Buddha.  Some  sort  of  religion  is  for  the  human  mind 
indispensable.    What  better  faith,  some  have  thought, 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  275 

to  adopt  in  lieu  of  faith  in  Christ,  than  faith  in  an  ori- 
ental saint — what  better  substitute  for  the  self=denials 
of  the  Gospel  than  those  of  the  sage  of  India?  Scho- 
penhauer himself  is  said  to  have  looked  favorably  on 
the  claims  of  Buddhism,  and  to  have  advocated  its 
ascetic  principles,  though  in  his  own  life,  at  Frankfurt^ 
on^the-Main,  he  took  no  pains  to  practise  the  theories 
which  he  approved  in  others.  Much  as  he  had  to  say 
about  the  blessings  of  death,  he  was  among  the  first 
to  leave  the  city  on  the  approach  of  cholera.  It 
remained  for  Nietzsche  to  proclaim  a  philosophy  of 
mere  pleasure  and  unlimited  power  for  wealth  and 
culture.  With  him  might  makes  right.  Purely 
Machiavellian  in  his  theories,  he  admires  such  men 
as  Caesar  Borgia,  and  attacks  Christianity  and  its 
Author  with  a  coarseness  rarely  met  with  outside  his 
pages.  In  the  entire  New  Testament  he  finds  but 
one  character  worthy  his  approval,  the  character  of 
Pilate!  He  would  live  in  the  present,  and  limit  his 
enjoyments,  no  matter  how  coarse  they  are,  only  by 
his  ability  to  secure  them. 

For  those  who  turn  in  sorrow  from  such  theories 
as  these,  even  Egydy's  "  One  only  Christendom " 
furnishes  no  real  help.  For  this  new  religion,  is,  as 
its  critics  have  shown,  but  a  worn=out  Rationalism 
clothed  in  new  garments.  Yet  the  hunger  for  some- 
thing better  than  modern  philosophy  or  the  religion 
of  the  East  can  present,  has  led  to  the  formation  in 
many  of  the  larger  cities  of  ethical  societies,  in  which 
at  least  the  semblance  of  good  morals  is  taught  and 
l^ractised.  Possibly  this  is  the  last  halt  which  culture 
will  make  on  its  return  to  the  pure  religion  of  Christ. 
Thanks  to  the  modesty  of  science  herself,  in  the  face 


276  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

of  prol)leii]S  which  she  cannot  solve  in  her  laborato- 
ries, and  of  myriads  of  questions  to  which  she  can 
give  no  satisfactory  answer,  there  has  been  a  decided 
reaction  in  thoughtful  minds  in  favor  of  the  older 
views  as  to  the  origin  of  the  world  and  the  place  of 
man  in  it.  Not  only  is  confession  of  ignorance  vol- 
untarily made  by  eminent  scientists;  students  also 
have  been  encouraged  to  turn  their  attention  once 
more  to  the  profound  problems  connected  with  the 
origin,  the  nature,  and  the  destiny  of  man.  Now 
that  it  is  seen  that  he  is  by  far  the  most  important 
being  on  the  planet,  that  all  things  point  to  him  as 
the  object  for  which  all  else  exists,  it  is  admitted  by 
many  scientific  students  that  there  may  be  a  personrd 
God;  that  man  may  possess  a  spiritual  nature;  that  a 
future  life  is  not  impossible;  that  there  is  a  well- 
marked  distinction  between  right  and  wrong,  virtue 
and  vice;  and  that  it  may  be  wise  to  strengthen  the 
Church  as  an  institution  that  must  always  fill  an  im- 
portant place  in  the  culture  of  man.  It  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  in  the  so=called  contest  between 
science  and  the  principles  of  a  Christian  philosophy, 
although  a  full  and  open  surrender  is  not  to  be 
looked  for,  the  latter  have  won. 

But  science  should  not  be  compelled  to  bear  the 
whole  burden  of  the  infidelity  among  students  of 
nature.  Unbelief  in  a  divine  revelation  almost  inevi- 
tably accompanies  superficial  studies  of  any  kind. 
Of  these  Germany  has  had  her  full  share.  Dilettanti 
students,  of  whom  there  have  been  many,  make 
few  contributions  to  faith.  For  a  person  who  con- 
fines himself  to  a  single  branch  of  study  it  is  difficult 
to  realize  that  there  are  other  departments  of  learn- 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  2l1 

ing  as  important  as  his  own,  or  that,  so  long  as  he 
confines  himself  to  one  department,  he  can  acquire 
no  completely  harmonious  view  of  nature,  or  of  man 
in  his  relation  to  it. 

Criticism  of  the  Scriptures  by  such  men  as  Baur 
and  his  successors,  the  Life  of  Christ  by  Strauss,  and 
other  treatises  of  a  similar  character,  published  in 
order  to  cast  doubt  on  the  integrity  and  trustworthi- 
ness of  the  Word  of  God,  have  produced  unbelief  in 
the  minds  of  large  numbers  of  thinking  people.  The 
scholarshix)  of  the  present  day,  however,  is  able  to 
show  that  few  of  the  conclusions  of  the  earlier  critics 
are  in  accordance  with  the  facts,  and  that  the  reasons 
for  confidence  in  the  Scriptures  have  not  been  weak- 
ened by  previous  attacks  on  their  integrity. 

Parties  in  the  Church,  such  as  a  center,  a  right 
and  left  wing,  among  professed  believers  in  Christ, 
have  had  a  bad  influence,  both  without  and  within 
the  Church.  Doctrinal  divisions,  save  for  reasons 
evident  to  all,  are  always  injurious  to  piety.  It  is  a 
matter  of  rejoicing  that,  in  the  presence  of  common 
dangers,  dogmatic  divisions  in  the  Church  are  being 
laid  aside,  and  that  the  leaders  of  these  divisions  are 
CO  operating  earnestly  together  in  efforts  to  win  back 
to  the  Church  the  multitudes  which  their  own  neg- 
lect and  the  false  teachings  of  avowed  unbelievers 
have  rendered  indifferent  or  hostile. 

For  many  years  wealth  and  learning  have  lacked  a 
common  bond  of  union.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
century  literary  aspirations  brought  them  together. 
Then  came  the  desire,  long  cherished  and  finally 
realized  in  the  wars  of  1870-71,  for  a  united  Ger- 
many.    Under  the  pressure  of  great  social  dangers 


278  CHltlSTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

and  in  the  presence  of  problems  concerning  the 
nature  and  destiny  of  the  human  soul,  it  is  not  im- 
possible that  another  principle  of  union  may  be 
found,  and  that  under  its  application  the  Church  and 
its  institutions  will  become  stronger  than  ever.  In 
the  Roman  Catholic  portion  of  the  population  this 
union  already  exists.  As  the  result  of  the  expulsion 
of  the  Jesuits,  and  the  Falk  Laws,  the  latter  the  out- 
come of  the  Kulturkampf,  Romanism  has  gained  in 
power  and  spirituality.  At  present  it  has  more  free- 
dom and  enjoys  greater  privileges  than  the  National 
Church  of  Prussia.  By  its  persistent  and  successful 
struggles  with  the  government  it  has  drawn  a  consid- 
erable number  of  the  votaries  of  fashion  into  its 
fold.  From  the  ranks  of  wealth  and  learning  those 
have  come  who  seek  a  refuge  from  the  uncertainties 
of  discussion  and  a  peace  of  conscience  which  obe- 
dience to  authority  can  alone  furnish.  Reaction  in 
matters  of  religion  is  by  no  means  rare.  There  is  no 
little  wisdom  in  the  assertion,  attributed  to  Dr. 
Adolph  Stoecker,  that  the  dogma  of  papal  infallibil- 
ity is  the  answer  to  the  ape  theory  of  man.  Darwin- 
ism and  its  evolutionary  successors  are  in  a  measure 
responsible  for  the  recent  aggression  and  more  dog- 
matic attitude  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  If  in 
the  presence  of  the  materialism  of  the  times,  and  in 
spite  of  the  sneers  of  infidelity,  the  Church  of  Rome 
has  held  its  own,  and  even  made  notable  conquests, 
it  ought  not  to  be  diifficult  for  Protestantism  to  do 
the  same.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  Protestantism  has 
held  her  own.  While  every  year  furnishes  reports  of 
accessions  to  Rome  from   the   Protestant    Church, 


PtlESENT  CONDITIONS  279 

these  accessions  are  more  than  equalled  by  gains 
from  Romanism, 

Perhaps  we  shall  be  more  in  sympathy  with  those 
who  have  the  welfare  and  growth  of  the  Church  as  a 
burden  on  their  hearts,  if  we  consider  a  little  more 
carefully  than  we  have  yet  done,  the  economic  condi- 
tion of  the  people  during  the  past  generation,  as  well 
as  their  present  condition. 

The  position  occupied  by  the  middle  class  in  Ger- 
many is  one  of  real  difficulty  and  of  growing  dissat- 
isfaction. It  stands  midway  between  the  proletariat 
and  the  ranks  of  wealth  and  culture.  Comparatively 
few  of  its  members  are  rising  into  the  circles  above 
them,  while  many,  unable  to  maintain  themselves  in 
their  present  position,  are  sinking  to  the  level  of  the 
proletariat.  These  changes  are  due  not  to  anything 
for  which  this  class  can  itself  be  blamed,  but  to  the 
economic  conditions  of  the  times.  Agricultural  de- 
pression, for  example,  and  the  seeming  inability  of  the 
law-making  power  to  do  anything  to  remove  it,  have 
brought  suffering  into  homes  once  full  of  peace  and 
plenty.  Small  farmers  have  been  obliged  to  dispose 
of  their  holdings,  and  to  earn  a  scanty  livelihood  by 
working  for  large  landowners.  Some  go  to  the  city 
and  almost  at  once  assume  a  lower  social  posi- 
tion than  they  have  hitherto  held.  A  few  find  a 
means  of  support  in  keeping  boarding-houses,  restau- 
rants, or  small  hotels.  As  a  rule  these  places  become 
centers  of  corruption  and  vice.  The  old  custom  of 
renting  land  in  small  portions  from  the  larger  farmers, 
paying  for  it  in  work,  and  receiving  aid  in  plowing 
from  the  great  farm  in  return  for  extra  work,  is  less 


280  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

frequent  than  formerly,  even  in  Eastern  Prussia. 
Wages  are  paid  in  money  rather  than  in  kind. 
Though  this  is  satisfactory  to  the  recipient,  wages  so 
paid  are  worth  less  than  those  received  under  the 
old  method.  Money  slips  through  the  wage=earner's 
fingers.  He  does  not  know  how  to  spend  it  wisely. 
Finding  it  harder  and  harder  to  live  in  the  country, 
becoming  discouraged  when  there,  and  losing  his 
interest  in  the  Church  because  of  his  increasing 
poverty,  it  could  not  be  expected  that  in  the  city,  or 
that  anywhere  among  strangers  he  would  pay  much 
attention  to  religious  things.  Yet  an  earnest  pastor 
will  often  find  his  heart  responsive  to  his  appeals, 
and  its  possessor  quite  ready  to  return  to  an  alle- 
giance which  he  has  temporarily  thrown  off.  If  these 
changes  are  more  frequent  in  the  eastern  portion  of 
Germany  than  elsewhere,  they  are  not  unknown  in 
any  section  of  the  country. 

Far  worse,  in  reality,  even  if  the  pain  of  his  condi- 
tion is  not  as  keenly  felt,  is  the  situation  of  the  day- 
laborer  in  the  country.  Unlike  the  land^renter,  he 
has  never  quite  been  his  own  master.  He  has  pre- 
served his  independence,  and  does  so  still,  but  he  has 
never  known  the  luxury,  even  if  he  has  long  lived  in 
the  same  house  or  hut,  of  calling  anything  his  own. 
He  has  been  content  with  day  wages.  Frequently 
the  necessities  of  the  family  have  compelled  the  wife 
and  the  elder  children  to  work  in  the  fields,  at 
least  during  some  seasons  of  the  year.  Prior  to  1870, 
these  daydaborers  lived  in  comparative  comfort. 
They  earned  but  little,  and  though  they  needed  little, 
they  often  lived  on  the  edge  of  want.  With  the 
decrease  in  the  profits  of  farming,  wages  grew  less, 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  28i 

and  as  the  price  of  provisions  did  not  decrease,  but 
rather  advanced,  the  comfort  of  the  day  laborer  dimin- 
ished. He  did  not  know  what  to  do.  Never  over 
virtuous,  although  not  openly  vicious,  the  price  which 
girls  could  command  in  the  city  tempted  some 
families  belonging  to  this  class  to  encourage  their 
daughters  to  enter  upon  a  life  of  sin.  At  the  same 
time  the  sons  of  the  household,  at  as  early  an  age  as 
possible,  sought  the  larger  town  as  affording  a  better 
oj)portunity  for  a  life  of  crime.  From  what  other  source 
than  the  country,  and  from  what  other  families  than 
those  low  in  social  standing  and  suffering  from  want, 
can  come  so  naturally  the  supply  of  that  great  army 
of  fallen  women,  of  whom  Dr.  Stoecker  says  five 
thousand  are  registered  in  Berlin  alone,  and  that  not 
less  than  fifty  thousand  altogether  are  known  to  live 
in  that  city!  Hov;  can  there  be  less  than  this  number, 
if  it  be  true,  as  some  excellent  authorities  assert  that 
nine=  tenths  of  the  male  population  of  the  city  patron- 
ize them!  At  any  rate,  the  revelations  of  the  Hospitals 
make  up  a  fearful  record. 

In  their  work  these  day^laborers  have  been  com- 
IDelled  to  compete  with  companies  of  so-called  free 
laborers,  who,  under  contract,  are  brought  from  dis- 
tant sections  of  Germany  to  gather  in  the  harvests,  or 
render  some  other  needed  service.  The  steam= 
threshing  machine  has  now  made  it  possible  to  free 
the  grain  from  the  straw  in  a  few  days  of  work.  The 
old  method  of  beating  it  out  with  a  flail  gave  em- 
ployment to  large  numbers  nearly  the  whole  winter. 
Where  land  has  become  too  valuable  for  flax^raising, 
weaving  in  the  homes  has  largely  ceased,  and  this 
source  of  income  has  been  taken  from  the  poor  coun- 


282  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

try  wage-earner.  No  wonder  lie  is  discouraged. 
Carried  by  his  ambition  to  the  city,  he  soon  becomes 
disheartened  even  there.  What  can  he  do?  The 
work  he  wants  is  not  to  be  had:  there  is  not  enough 
of  it  for  all.  It  ought  to  be  no  surprise  to  anyone,  if 
in  his  hopelessness  he  seeks  relief  in  suicide.  This 
side  of  death  he  and  his  have  no  hope.  If  for  a  time 
he  manages  to  find  means  of  support  in  the  city,  or 
in  the  manufacturing  town,  he  easily  falls  a  prey  to 
the  Social  Democrat,  who  promises  to  improve  his 
social  condition  and  inflames  his  mind  v/ith 
thoughts  of  revolution.  To  persons  in  this  social 
condition  it  is  very  difficult  to  present  the  truths  of 
the  Gospel.  The  cares  of  this  world  destroy  even  the 
sense  of  spiritual  perception. 

The  changes  which  press  so  heavily  on  the  small 
landholder  and  the  day=laborer  press  with  equal 
severity,  although  difPerently,  upon  large  landown- 
ers, and  render  it  impossible  for  them  to  prevent  the 
sufferings  of  those  to  whom  hitherto  they  have  fur- 
nished the  means  of  subsistence.  Many  of  these 
fall  into  debt  and  become  slaves  of  drink  and  the 
gaming  table.  Then  the  money  lender  has  them  in 
his  power.  Small  country  traders  and  artisans  also 
suffer.  Great  sections  of  country  at  times  seem  to 
fall  into  a  kind  of  despair.  If  in  such  circumstances 
the  old  faith  in  religion  remains  sacred,  if  the  old 
respect  and  reverence  for  the  Church  and  its  minis- 
ters are  retained,  it  is  all  that  can  be  expected. 
Even  this  is  a  triumph  of  grace.  Instances  not  a 
few  could  be  given  where  this  has  been  done,  where 
suffering  on  the  part  of  the  lower  classes  has  called 
forth  sympathies  and  ministries  on  the  part  of  those 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  283 

socially  above  tliem,  which  have  laid  the  foundation, 
not  only  of  close  relations,  but  of  lifelong  friend- 
ships. The  fact  that  the  Church  and  the  clergy-  are 
awake  to  the  conditions  which  everywhere  prevail  is 
one  of  the  lioj3eful  signs  of  the  times. 

But  indifferent  as  the  conditions  are,  they  are  not 
wholly  bad.  Take  the  country  through,  at  least  five- 
sixths  of  those  who  might  be  looked  upon  as  belong- 
ing to  the  middle  class  are,  in  a  small  way,  indepen- 
dent. Some  of  them  are  employers  of  labor.  Me- 
chanics often  employ  other  mechanics,  and  work  by 
their  side.  Statistics  show  that  the  number  of  per- 
sons engaged  in  some  kind  of  manufacturing  and 
who  do  not  employ  more  than  five  assistants,  bears  a 
very  large  proportion  to  the  whole  wage=giving  class. 
Even  if  smaller  manufacturers  get  their  work,  as  they 
frequently  do,  from  large  establishments,  they  take  it 
to  their  own  shops,  where  they  are  their  own  masters. 

Probably  the  life  most  dangerous  to  good  morals 
and  most  liable  to  extreme  suffering  is  that  led  in  the 
great  m.anufacturing  centers  and  in  the  cities.  Here 
wage-earners,  once  respectable,  through  lack  of  econ- 
omy, imprudent  marriages,  loss  of  work,  reduction  of 
wages,  sickness  or  accident,  are  often  suddenly  reduced 
to  poverty.  The  pressure  of  competition  for  many  years 
has  rendered  the  relation  between  the  great  manu- 
facturer and  his  help  very  strained.  To  a  company 
of  weavers  who  complained  to  Bismarck,  in  1865, 
that  their  wages  had  been  reduced  while  the  cost  of 
living  was  constantly  increasing,  the  statesman  re- 
plied that  while  he  would  do  all  that  could  be  done 
for  them,  they  must  not  blame  emi3loyers  for  a  con- 
dition of  things  everywhere  prevailing.     Since  that 


284  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

time,  in  many  branches  of  industry,  wages  have  been 
raised.  In  other  respects,  much  has  been  done  for 
the  wage-earner.  Laws  have  been  enacted  for  his 
protection.  His  hours  of  work  have  been  shortened. 
Companies  have  been  formed  to  insure  him  against 
sickness,  accident,  and  old  age.  Yet,  in  spite  of  all 
this,  his  condition  has  not  greatly  improved.  In 
1865  the  Bebel^Liebknecht  movement  began.  In 
1877  appeared  the  Geneva  manifesto,  calling  uj)on 
the  proletariat  the  world  over  to  unite  against  author- 
ity of  every  kind,  and  against  every  form  of  privi- 
lege. This  was  the  foundation  of  that  Social  Demo- 
cratic movement  which,  while  it  has  brought  no  eco- 
nomical advantages  to  those  connected  with  it,  and 
has  not  diminished  the  loyalty  of  the  larger  portion 
of  its  adherents  either  to  country  or  Sovereign,  has 
yet  been  the  cause  of  much  anxiety  to  statesmen  and 
Christian  patriots,  since  its  leaders  have  not  hesitated 
to  avow  principles,  the  logical  outcome  of  which  is 
the  destruction  of  every  form  of  authority,  the  denial 
of  the  right  of  personal  property,  the  breaking  up  of 
the  family  and  the  home,  and  the  re-establishment  of 
anarchy  and  barbarism. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

EFFORTS  AND  MEASURES  TO  MEET  THE  NEW 
DANGERS  OF  THE  TIME. 

Alive  to  the  dangers  of  the  time,  men  like  Dr. 
Stoecker  have  devoted  themselves  to  mission  work  in 
the  cities,  and  to  the  spread  of  Christian  literature 
among  the  people.  From  Berlin  as  a  center,  they 
reach  every  part  of  the  land.  The  sermons  of  the 
great  preacher,  tracts  from  wise  and  ready  pens,  in- 
teresting and  instructive  pajaers,  find  their  way  every 
week  into  thousands  of  needy  homes.  Through  the 
Inner  Mission  persons  are  trained  to  meet  young 
men  and  women  who  come  from  the  country  to  the 
city,  and  protect  them  against  the  pitfalls  spread  for 
their  feet.  It  is  often  possible  to  persuade  those  who 
have  left  their  homes  in  the  rural  districts  from  a 
desire  for  greater  freedom  and  in  the  hope  of  obtain- 
ing larger  wages,  to  return  thither.  Into  homes  of 
discouragement  and  want  in  the  city  these  minister- 
ing servants  of  a  Christian  humanity  find  their  way, 
and  with  words  of  friendly  sympathy  revive  hope  in 
hearts  whence  it  had  almost  died  out.  Under  the 
influence  of  persons  like  Licentiate  Weber,  ministers, 
professors  in  the  Universities,  men  employed  in  the 
civil  service  of  the  country,  and  eminent  laymen, 
some  of  them  of  noble  birth,  and  representing  all 
shades  of  theological   opinion,   now  meet   together 

285 


286  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

annually,  in  a  Social  Congress,  to  consider  the  condi- 
tions of  labor,  the  duties  which  capital  owes  to  it,  to 
the  Church,  to  the  Government,  to  wealth,  and  to 
learning  and  privilege  of  every  kind.  A  rich  litera- 
ture on  these  subjects  has  already  been  created,  and 
much  done  to  imx)lant  a  better  feeling  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  had  been  seriously  alienated  from  every- 
thing that  called  itself  Christian.  Now  that  the  eyes 
of  the  ministry,  of  professors  in  the  Universities,  of 
members  of  the  nobility,  of  great  landowners,  of 
manufacturers,  and  of  men  of  influence  in  all  walks 
of  life,  have  been  opened  to  the  misery  of  vast  num- 
bers of  their  fellow  creatures,  no  efiPorts  on  the  part 
of  the  Government  to  prevent  the  discussion  of  these 
matters  in  public  assembly  will  prevent  their  discus- 
sic»n,  at  least  in  private  and  through  the  press.  To 
these  matters  the  best  Christian  thought  and  the 
highest  wisdom  of  political  science  are  directing 
their  attention. 

Herculean  efforts  are  also  being  made  to  win  back 
to  the  Church  those  who  have  wandered  from  her, 
nor  will  these  efforts  cease  till  the  wanderers  are  re- 
claimed. The  methods  employed  are  varied,  but  in 
aim  and  spirit  they  are  one.  The  ruling  principles  are 
supreme  love  to  God,  and  the  treatment  of  every  man 
as  if  he  were  the  neighbor  whom  we  are  to  love  as  we 
love  ourselves.  When  these  principles  shall  have 
been  universally  accepted,  the  economic  ills  from 
which  Germany  is  suffering  will  vanish,  together 
with  most  of  the  other  ills  that  afflict  her.  As  these 
principles  are  proclaimed  from  thousands  of  pulpits 
every  Sunday,  it  is  not  too  much  to  hope  that  they 
ynW  triumph,  and  that  the  Church  of  the  Reforma- 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  287 

tion  will  be  restored  to  her  old  place  in  the  hearts  of 
the  people.  Those  who  are  engaged  in  what  seems 
to  many  from  other  countries  the  unchristian,  anti== 
Semitic  crusade,  say  that  they  are  governed  by  a 
Christian  spirit.  They  do  not  hate  the  Jew  as  a  man, 
nor  have  they  any  enmity  against  his  religion.  They 
affirm,  however,  that  the  principles  by  which  he 
acquires  wealth  are  not  only  demoralizing  to  trade, 
but  destructive  of  common  honesty,  that  the  in- 
fluence he  is  exerting  on  youth  is  corrupting  in  the 
extreme,  and  that  the  life  which  he  leads  after  he  has 
obtained  wealth  is  a  life  wholly  wanting  in  elevation 
of  purpose  and  self-sacrificing  deeds.  To  this 
arraignment  there  are,  of  course,  exceptions,  and  these 
are  gratefully  acknowledged.  But,  in  general,  so 
anti-Semites  say  in  self-defense,  those  whom  they 
oppose  are  doing  more  than  any  other  class  of  citi- 
zens to  undermine  the  moral  foundations  of  society. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  anti=Semitism  survives,  and 
continues  to  attract  high==minded  men  to  its  ranks. 
But  whatever  be  one's  final  judgment  of  the  move- 
ment, it  must  be  admitted  that  it  reveals  the  exist- 
ence of  a  strong  moral  purpose  among  gifted  and 
prominent  men  both  in  Church  and  State.  Like 
other  currents  of  thought  and  methods  of  procedure, 
it  suggests  more  than  it  asserts.  It  shows  that  the 
tendency  is  toward  purer  and  simpler  standards  of 
living,  greater  honesty  in  business  life,  to  the  incul- 
cation of  a  more  brotherly  feeling  between  rich  and 
poor,  and  to  an  attempt  to  realize  on  earth  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  To  the  realization  of 
such  aims  as  these  the  activity  of  the  German 
Church  is  now  directed. 


288  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Let  it  be  admitted,  as  it  must  be,  that  at  present 
the  laboring  classes  quite  generally  are  alienated  from 
the  Church  and  her  institutions,  and,  in  consequence 
of  the  struggle  for  life,  are  giving  little  thought  to  a 
life  to  come.  For  this  alienation  we  can  easily  ac- 
count. Its  causes  are  not  permanent,  and  since  some 
of  them  have  been  discovered  we  may  be  sure 
they  v/ill  be  removed.  Over  against  this  separation 
of  the  masses  from  the  ministries  of  the  Church,  are 
to  be  placed  the  tens  of  thousands  who  still  adhere  to 
them,  and  the  ever  growing  number  of  those  who  be- 
lieve in  them  with  a  heartiness  hitherto  almost  un- 
known. Since  the  era  of  the  sixties  Sunday=schools 
have  sprung  into  existence  and  have  rapidly  over- 
spread the  land.  Through  the  children  who  attend 
these  schools  thousands  of  homes,  previously  inacces- 
sible, are  reached  with  Christian  literature.  Acting 
upon  the  principle  that  the  formation  of  character  is 
better  than  its  reformation,  the  Church  is  endeavoring 
to  seek  out  those  who  have  been  confirmed,  instead 
of  allowing  them,  after  the  fashion  of  an  earlier  day, 
to  drift  away  into  worldliness  and  sin.  They  are 
gathered  into  Societies  for  Young  Men  and  Young 
Women,  and  put  under  the  care  of  persons  whose 
wisdom  and  piety  fit  them  to  be  leaders  of  these  So- 
cieties. With  increasing  demands  on  the  time  and 
energies  of  the  pastor,  the  aid  of  consecrated  men  and 
vromen  in  the  ranks  of  the  Church  has  become  neces- 
sary. Objections,  which  even  recently  existed, 
against  their  employment  are  fast  passing  away.  Pas- 
tors cannot  do  the  work  which  the  numerous  activities 
of  the  Church  render  indispensable.  Putting  aside  old 
prejudices,  they  have  called  upon  this  one  and  that 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  289 

one  among  the  trusted  members  of  their  Churches  for 
assistance.  Thus  laymen,  with  hearts  full  of  Chris- 
tian love,  have  been  drawn  into  one  reform  after 
another,  till  now  there  is  a  great  army  in  the  aggre- 
gate, fighting  against  the  destructive  influences  of 
evil.  The  time  cannot  be  far  off  when  laymen  will 
take  as  prominent  a  part  in  every  form  of  Church  work 
as  is  taken  by  them  in  Great  Britain  or  in  the  United 
States.  The  tendency  toward  this  employment  of  the 
laity  is  one  of  the  most  hopeful  signs  of  the  day. 
In  this  discovery  of  a  Christian  force,  which  has  long 
lain  dormant,  the  Church  is  becoming  conscious  of 
her  real  strength.  She  is  perceiving  that  she  has  as 
many  channels  through  which  to  send  out  her  bless- 
ings to  the  people,  as  she  has  earnest  believers  within 
her  fold.  She  has  also  come  to  see  that  the  jperson- 
ality  of  the  individual  worker  is  of  importance,  that 
benevolence  is  worth  more  when  dispensed  by  a  con- 
secrated deaconess  or  brother,  than  when  bestowed  in 
a  merely  formal  manner  by  a  State  official.  That 
large  numbers  of  laymen,  in  the  aggregate,  are  con- 
sidering their  personal  responsibility  for  the  life  and 
influence  of  the  Church  accounts  for  the  steady  in- 
crease in  her  contributions  for  benevolent  objects, 
and  is  a  hopeful  augury  for  the  future. 

In  every  country  there  are  myriads  who  care  only 
for  themselves,  who  have  plenty  of  money  for  per- 
sonal pleasure  but  none  for  the  Master,  who  are 
slaves  of  drink  and  open  sin,  who  anxiously  shun 
honest  occupations  and  devote  themselves  to  crime  as 
a  profession;  but  we  must  remember  at  the  same  time 
that  there  are  also  myriads  who  seek  after  the  high- 
est life,  and  in  character  and  action  strive  to  realize 


290  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

the  highest  ideals.  HajDpily  the  number  of  those 
who  still  retain  respect  for  the  i3rinciples  of  Christ  is 
large,  even  in  Germany.  There,  as  in  America,  it 
has  become  the  custom  to  report  the  evil  that  men 
do.  Of  the  good  that  is  done  the  Press  is,  for  the 
most  part,  silent.  Outside  of  Germany  we  do  not 
judge  the  Christian  character  of  a  nation  by  the  re- 
ports its  Daily  Press  gives  of  the  vices  of  the  people. 
In  Germany,  as  elsewhere,  we  must  search  for  the 
good  that  is  done  silently,  and  seek  the  acquain- 
tance of  those  who  are  striving  to  stem  the  tides  of 
sin  and  make  the  nation  an  essential  part  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  The  German  Church  is  meeting 
the  dangers  which  threaten  her  social  life  in  her  own 
way.  She  is  meeting  them  with  the  weapons  she  can 
best  use.  She  is  proceeding  with  the  wisdom,  the 
patience,  and  the  thoroughness,  which  are  character- 
istic of  her  best  trained  men.  That  she  will  eventu- 
ally succeed  in  removing  the  dangers  which  now  lie 
in  the  path  of  her  social  and  Christian  life  ought  not 
to  be  questioned. 

It  is  instructive,  as  well  as  encouraging  to  observe 
the  means  by  which  the  present  j)ai"tial  reaction 
against  infidelity  and  indifference  to  religion  has 
been  brought  about,  and  a  new  vitality  imparted  to 
the  Christian  institutions  of  the  State.  Among  these 
means,  not  the  least  important  is  the  awakening  of 
earnest  Christian  patriots  within  the  Church  to  the 
real  needs  of  the  age  and  to  the  discerning  of  the 
"  signs  of  the  times."  When  it  was  seen  whither  the 
Darwinian  theory  of  the  Origin  of  Species,  the  De- 
scent of  Man,  and  related  scientific  theories,  were 
tending,  devout  students  of  nature  began  to  ask  if 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  291 

these  theories  were  true  and  in  accordance  with  facts, 
and  if  so,  whether  they  could  not  be  brought  into 
harmony  with  the  revelations  of  the  Word  of  God. 
Ere  long  it  was  discovered  that  while  retaining  faith 
in  Christianity  one  need  give  n])  nothing  which 
science  has  demonstrated  to  be  true.  Furthermore, 
it  became  evident,  that  in  spite  of  the  criticisms  on 
the  Bible,  and  the  systems  of  materialistic  philos- 
ophy which  had  cast  their  baleful  shadows  over  so 
many  influential  schools  of  thought,  there  was  no 
real  necessity  for  ceasing  to  trust  in  a  joersonal  Savior, 
or  in  what  seem  to  be  the  self-evident  facts  of  human 
nature.  Hence  the  revival,  within  the  last  twenty 
years  in  nearly  all  the  National  Churches,  of  the  old 
conviction  that  men  are  sinful,  and  that  without  re- 
generation through  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
they  cannot  enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 
The  growing  pressure  of  new  responsibilities  con- 
nected with  the  development  of  the  Empire  gave  a 
clearer  vision  of  the  nature  and  extent  of  the  duties 
that  men  owe  to  one  another  if  they  would  carry  out 
the  fundamental  principles  of  their  religion,  supreme 
love  to  God  and  love  to  one's  neighbor  as  to  one's 
self.  It  furthermore  became  evident  to  all  thought- 
ful men,  that  Christian  benevolence  and  Christian 
activity  must  take  on  new  forms,  or  the  Church  would 
lose  power  with  the  masses  to  say  nothing  of  those  in 
the  higher  ranks  of  life.  An  admirable  agency 
through  v/hich  to  meet  these  pressing  demands  of  the 
new  era  presented  itself  in  the  Inner  Mission,  which 
Wichern,  of  the  Rough  House,  Hamburg,  had  so 
warmly  commended  to  liis  brethren  at  Wittenberg  in 
10-18.    Since  that  appeal  of  the  great  philanthropist, 


292  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

ministrations  in  the  name  of  humanity  and  the 
Christian  religion  have  been  so  varied  and  extensive 
as  to  challenge  the  admiration  of  the  entire  Christian 
world.  In  them  all  the  need  of  personal  service  has 
received  the  chief  emphasis. 

In  the  ten  years  immediately  following  Wichern's 
address  at  Wittenberg  comparatively  little  was  done, 
though  there  was  a  solid,  if  slow,  growth.  Since  1860, 
and  in  a  marked  manner  since  the  recognition  of 
William  I,  as  Emperor  of  United  Germany,  the  ex- 
pansion of  the  work  undertaken  in  the  name  of  the 
Inner  Mission  has  been  raj)id  and  cheering. 

Indirectly,  two  causes  have  contributed  to  this:  a 
keener  perception  of  the  importance  of  religious  in- 
struction in  all  grades  of  schools,  and  the  increasing 
attention  throughout  Prussia  to  the  need  of  a  better 
observance  of  Sunday.  Although  the  school  law 
urgently  pressed  a  few  years  ago,  was  withdrawn  at 
the  last  moment,  as  some  felt,  unwisely,  still  its  pro- 
visions in  reference  to  religious  instruction  in  many 
cases  are  likely  to  be  carried  out.  Pastors  are  sure 
to  give  more  careful  attention  than  formerly  to  the 
kind  of  instruction  imparted  in  the  schools,  and 
where  it  is  not  satisfactory,  to  become  res^oonsible  for 
it  themselves.  In  j)arochial  schools,  Protestant  and 
Catholic,  this  instruction  has  always  been  consistent 
and  thorough.  In  other  schools,  in  theory  at  least, 
instruction  in  the  Scriptures  and  in  the  fundamental 
principles  of  the  Christian  religion,  has  long  been  a 
part  of  the  curriculum.  The  ethical  value  of  such  a 
course  of  study,  even  if  it  is  somewhat  formal,  can 
easily  be  seen.  In  view  of  the  opposition  of  Social 
Democracy,  and  of  a  vowed  u  nbelievers,  Chri  sti  an  people 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  293 

are  insisting  with  more  earnestness  than  ever  that 
this  instruction  shall  continue  to  be  given,  and  with 
all  the  fullness  which  the  law  requires. 

In  order  to  render  it  possible  for  the  laboring 
classes  to  attend  Church,  at  least  once  a  day,  the  law- 
making power  in  Prussia,  under  the  so=called  Sunday 
legislation,  freed  them  as  far  as  could  be  done,  from 
the  obligation  to  work  on  that  day.  Certain  kinds  of 
work  are  altogether  prohibited,  while  other  kinds 
are  limited  to  certain  portions  of  the  day.  No  work 
that  will  disturb  worship  during  its  accustomed  hours 
is  permitted.  Stores  and  shops  which  provide  food 
for  the  people  can  remain  open  till  about  half  an  hour 
before  the  time  for  morning  service.  Of  course 
a  great  deal  of  public  work  is  still  held  to  be  neces- 
sary. Trains  are  run,  though  somewhat  less  in 
number,  as  usual.  The  mails  are  carried,  and  letters 
are  distributed  on  Sunday,  as  on  other  days  of  the 
week.  Some  manufacturing  establishments  continue 
their  work  on  Sunday,  with  a  force  varying  from  one- 
half  to  thirty  per  cent.,  of  the  whole  number  of 
persons  ordinarily  employed.  While  every  employ^  is 
free  to  work,  or  to  refuse  to  work,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  fear  of  losing  one's  place  compels  one  to  yield  to 
the  wishes  of  those  who  are  in  authority.  Although 
the  Sunday  laws  are  not  all  that  could  be  desired, 
they  are  a  great  improvement  on  previous  conditions, 
since  the  Government  recognizes  the  religious  charac- 
ter of  the  Sabbath  and  people  are  encouraged  to  attend 
Church.  It  is  too  soon  to  say  how  many  avail  them- 
selves of  the  privilege.  It  would  be  strange  if  with 
those  who  had  long  neglected  Church,  partly  from 
force  of  habit,  partly  because  they  are  obliged  to  work 


294  CER  JSTIAN  LIFE  IN  GEFMANY 

on  that  day  as  on  any  other,  and  partly  from  growing 
indifference  to  moral  and  spiritual  obligations,  an  im- 
mediate improvement  in  Church  going  showed  itself. 
It  is  more  natural  to  suppose  that  peoi)le  freed  from 
burdens  of  work  would  at  first  employ  the  day  in  rec- 
reation, in  making  excursions,  in  visiting  friends,  or  in 
anything  which  contributes  to  personal  pleasure. 
Those  who  have  shown  the  most  interest  in  the  wel- 
fare of  the  people  are  confident  that  fidelity  on  the  part 
of  pastors,  city  missionaries  and  Christians  generally^ 
will  result  in  bringing  thousands  into  the  Church  who 
have  not  hitherto  been  in  the  habit  of  attending  it, 
and  who  in  fact  have  been  prevented  by  their  duties 
from  doing  so,  as  well  as  in  gradually  reviving  and 
strengthening  the  religious  life  of  the  nation. 

But  the  chief  agency  for  effectively  reaching  those 
who  are  hostile  or  indifferent  to  religion,  is  the 
activity  of  Christian  love.  Nothing  so  clearly  illus- 
trates the  power  of  this  love  as  the  present  working 
of  the  Inner  Mission.  Primarily  designed  to  win  back 
and  save  those  who  in  name  were  connected  with  the 
Church,  and  for  whom,  under  her  constitution,  the 
Church  deemed  herself  responsible  in  the  exercise 
of  compassion  toward  these  wandering  ones,  she  has 
not  failed  to  proclaim  to  them  the  grace  and  love  of 
God  in  Jesus  Christ. 

As  David  von  Augsburg  said,  in  the  thirteenth 
century,  "All  the  poor,  the  sick,  the  heavy  at  heart, 
all  who  grieve,  all  sinners,  all  the  sorrow  which  has 
been,  and  shall  be  in  the  world,  are  to  be  gathered 
up  into  the  hospital  of  the  heart  and  there  given  the 
compassion  which  is  needed."  Wichern's  words,  on 
that  memorable  day  at  Wittenberg,   (September  22, 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  295 

1848)  have  borne  fruit:  "The  Evangelical  Church 
bears  witness  that  love  belongs  to  me  as  truly  as  faith. 
Christ  must  be  preached  not  only  in  the  living  Word 
of  God,  but  in  divine  deeds,  of  which  the  highest  is 
that  of  delivering  love.  If  the  church  accepts  her 
call  to  the  work  of  the  Inner  Mission,  then  for  her 
there  dawns  the  day  of  a  new  future.  But  no  day- 
break is  possible  without  penitence.  We  must  all 
bow  down  before  a  guilt  which  we  have  both  inherited 
and  made  personal.  This  penitence  must  form  the 
boundary  between  the  old  and  the  new  period  of  the 
Church.  Then  will  she  announce  the  message  which 
the  Master  entrusted  to  her,  the  delivering  power  of 
His  grace." 

The  growth  of  the  work  upon  which  Wichern  laid 
such  stress  shows  how  greatly  it  was  needed.  It  has 
constantly  received  the  blessing  of  God.  In  1833, 
there  were  but  four  "Mother  Deaconess'  Homes"  in 
all  Germany,  and  with  these  central  establishments 
but  few  branch  houses  were  connected.  In  these 
"Mother  Homes"  women  were  trained  for  personal 
Christian  service  among  the  sick,  the  ignorant,  the 
poor,  and  the  vicious.  Perhaps  there  were  as  many 
Koman  Catholic  Orders  open  for  women  ready  to  de- 
vote themselves  to  a  life  of  Christian  charity.  These 
have  increased  very  rapidly  in  number  since  that 
time.  In  1891,  Schaeffer  reports  the  existence  of 
Bixty4hree  "  mother  houses  for  deaconesses,"  with  a 
correspondingly  large  number  of  dependent  establish- 
ments, from  which  nearly  eighty-five  hundred  "  sisters  " 
go  out  constantly  to  their  self-denying  labors.  The 
number  of  these  consecrated  women  cannot  now  be 
less  than  nine  thousand,  and  new  "  mother  houses " 


296  CBRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

are  springing  up  as  the  demand  for  them  makes  itself 
felt.  Differing  from  each  other  and  from  the  original 
home  oi3ened  at  Kaiserswerth  by  Flieduer  in 
certain  details  of  management,  they  agree  in  the 
princii^les  of  Christian  love,  which  they  make  promi- 
nent as  the  motive  of  their  efforts  to  reach  and  save 
the  perishing.  The  National  Union  of  Women,  with 
upwards  of  nine  hundred  branch  unions,  designed  at 
first  to  meet  the  necessities  of  war,  but  even  in  times 
of  peace  finding  a  wide  field  for  its  benevolence, 
together  with  the  Red  Cross  Society  with  its  repre- 
sentatives in  every  German  State,  have  discovered 
that  the  Christian  spirit,  so  characteristic  of  the 
deaconess,  and  of  the  Inner  Mission,  is  indis- 
pensable in  their  work.  Where  there  is  no  formal 
connection  with  the  Inner  Mission,  there  seems  to  be 
an  almost  unconcious  purpose  to  imitate  its  methods 
and  manifest  its  spirit. 

The  fields  (as  shown  in  previous  chapters)  which 
the  Inner  Mission  is  now  cultivating  are  by  Schaeffer 
reduced  to  seven.  Each  of  these  fields  is  large 
and  inclusive.  They  are  designed  for  (1)  the 
education  and  instruction  of  children,  (2)  the 
education  and  i^reservation  of  youth,  (3)  the  rescue 
of  the  lost,  (4)  the  preservation  of  those  who  are  in 
danger,  (5)  the  care  of  cripples  and  the  sick,  (6)  for 
the  distribution  of  Christian  literature,  and  (7)  for 
efforts  to  meet  and  remove  social  needs. 

Essentially  the  same  classification  is  given  by 
Wurster,  P.  Kruse  of  Langenburg,  and  other  writers 
on  the  Inner  Mission.  An  essential  part  of  the  work 
of  this  Mission  is  the  effort  to  seek  out  and  train  for 
future  service  those  who  are  called  of  God  to  render  it. 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  297 

At  present  the  income  of  these  Deaconess'  Homes  alone 
is  not  less  than  nine  and  a  half  million  marks  annually, 
besides  the  amount  required  to  support  and  carry 
forward  other  branches  of  Inner  Mission  benevolence. 
If,  at  first  sight,  it  should  appear  that  the  Inner 
Mission  were  seeking  almost  exclusively  to  alleviate 
bodily  suffering,  to  remove  social  conditions,  to  rescue 
the  lost,  in  a  word,  to  render  life  in  this  world  more 
tolerable,  it  soon  becomes  evident  that  it  really  aims 
at  winning  the  objects  of  its  charity  back  to  the 
Church,  and  to  hearty  allegiance  to  Christ.  As  one 
result  of  these  efforts,  Romanism,  Judaism  and 
Humanitarianism  in  Germany  have  been  roused  to  a 
benevolent  activity  which  reaches  out  after  those 
who  naturally  fall  within  the  sphere  of  their  influence. 
Another  result  is  that  the  State  has  become  more  hu- 
mane and  more  Christian  in  its  spirit  and  its  legisla- 
tion, and  has  assumed  the  care  and  support  of  thou- 
sands of  unfortunates  in  whom  half  a  century  since  it 
seemed  to  have  no  interest. 

That  the  leaders  of  the  Protestant  Churches  have 
entered  upon  a  crusade  against  the  devastation  which 
sin  has  wrought  in  the  professed  members  of  these 
Churches  is  extremely  laudable.  They  are  not  to  be 
charged  w^ith  selfishness:  they  are  simply  trying  to 
be  faithful  to  their  own.  In  this  they  are  not  un- 
mindful of  the  necessities  of  those  who  are  without 
their  communion.  Through  these  exhibitions  of 
brotherly  interest  and  willing  self-sacrifice,  the 
Church  is  regaining  some  of  her  old  power  with  the 
masses.  She  is  also  showing  those  who  live  for 
pleasure,  and  find  that  only  in  material  things,  that 
there  are  objects  to  which  their  energy  and  money 


298  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

may  be  devoted  which  would  impart  to  life  a  depth 
of  joy  of  which  they  have  had  no  experience.  The 
infidelity  of  culture  and  of  materialism  also  has  been 
obliged  to  confess  that  the  Christian  activies  of  large 
numbers  within  the  Church  owe  their  existence  to 
motives  in  regard  to  which  unbelief  is  a  stranger. 
Through  the  tender  ministrations  of  personal  love, 
the  soil  of  indifference  and  selfishness  has  been  broken 
up  and  made  ready  for  the  seeds  of  imperishable 
truth. 

These  changes  in  the  attitude  of  vast  numbers 
toward  the  Church  and  her  ministers,  clearly  visible 
to  those  who  search  for  them,  and  are  most  intimately 
acquainted  with  the  characteristics  of  the  German 
people,  have  been  wrought  mainly  within  twenty 
years,  and  largely  during  the  last  decade.  That  we 
are  justified  in  looking  for  a  decided  increase  in  the 
near  future,  in  the  interest  now  taken  [in  the  Church 
and  her  legitimate  work  in  evangelization  and  works 
of  beneficence,  is  the  opinion  of  those  who  are  filling 
her  pulpits  and  are  engaged  in  administering  her 
charities. 

But  the  Church  of  the  Reformation,  in  which  so 
many  take  pride  and  which  is  now  striving  as  she 
never  before  strove  in  her  history  to  discharge  her 
duty  toward  the  wayward,  the  poor,  and  the  neglected, 
is  something  more  than  a  mere  organization  for  works 
of  charity  and  mercy.  As  her  members  believe,  she 
is  the  source  of  true  doctrine  for  the  people.  Through 
her  the  revelations  of  God  to  men  are  made  known. 
This  does  not  mean  that  she  may  claim  any  infallibil- 
ity as  a  teacher  and  expounder  of  dogmas,  or  that  she 
is  fettered  in  her  exposition  of  truth  by  creeds  or 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  29<) 

catechisms,  but  that  her  Mission  is  to  present  the 
words  and  life  of  Christ  in  simple,  intelligent 
language  to  her  hearers,  that  through  the  indwelling 
Spirit  she  can  do  this  authoritatively,  or  with  such 
strict  loyalty  to  truth  that  she  may  safely  be  followed 
as  a  religious  guide.  Her  ojjinions  on  matters  of  faith 
are  therefore  of  value.  While  posing  neither  as  a  de- 
fender of  orthodoxy  nor  as  a  champion  of  liberalism, 
she  claims  to  be  in  such  relations  with  God  and  His 
revealed  truth,  as  to  justify  the  position  she  seeks  to 
fill  as  a  teacher  commissioned  from  above.  Through 
the  union  of  persons,  cherishing  substantially  the 
same  views  with  reference  to  the  fundamental  doc- 
trines of  Christian  faith  and  practice,  she  is  a  fellow- 
ship of  believers.  In  this  fellowship,  which  is  also  a 
living  organism,  made  such  by  divine  purpose, 
abides  the  spirit  of  peace,  of  love,  of  helpfulness,  of 
self-sacrifice.  Here,  among  the  disciples  of  the  Lord, 
is  a  refuge  for  the  weary  and  heavy  laden.  Yet  this 
fellowship  is  not  the  mere  union  of  those  who  are 
drawn  together  by  the  fact  that  they  cherish  similar 
aims  and  are  ruled  by  the  same  spirit.  While  recog- 
nizing a  similarity  of  purpose  and  motive,  the  fel- 
lowship formed  under  it  is  perfected  and  protected 
by  a  Constitution,  by  laws  which  have  been  carefully 
considered  and  heartily  accepted,  and  by  customs 
which  one  is  not  at  liberty  to  disregard.  In  other 
words,  the  Church  has  an  outward  form,  which  even 
unbelievers  cannot  fail  to  perceive.  Through  this 
form  she  accomplishes  her  mission  in  the  world. 
Hence  the  emphasis  which  is  so  constantly  placed 
on  the  observance  of  Church  Law,  the  recognition 
of  authority   in  the  Church  and  the  care   to  make 


300  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

it  plain  to  all  that  duties  must  be  discharged,  if 
privileges  are  to  be  enjoyed.  Within  the  fellow- 
shij)  thus  protected  by  the  forms  with  which  it  is 
clothed,  any  who  will,  may  find  warm  and  loving 
welcome.  It  is  also  held  that  the  Church  is  the  con- 
science of  the  community.  This  means  that  from  her 
pulpits  the  sins  of  the  community,  the  nation,  indi- 
viduals, and  bodies  of  individuals  are  pointed  out,  the 
duties  which  men  owe  to  each  other  are  clearly 
set  forth,  and  any  deviation  from  these  duties  is 
earnestly,  fearlessly  rebuked.  In  order  that  the 
Church  may  be  equal  to  the  exalted  position  she  oc- 
cupies as  the  religious  guide  of  the  people,  and  the 
channel  through  which  truth  is  to  find  its  way  to  them, 
her  leaders  realize  more  and  more  the  duty  of  being- 
led  by  the  Spirit,  while  yet  holding  to  the  "form  of  a 
sound  doctrine."  For  many  j^ears  her  ministers  have 
ai^prehended  truth  intellectually,  rather  than  through 
exj^erience,  and  have  taught  principles  of  Christian 
faith  and  conduct,  as  they  w^ould  teach  the  princiiDles 
of  moral  or  ethical  science.  There  has  been  a  ten- 
dency toward  formalism  in  piety  and  toward  satisfac- 
tion with  mere  external  propriety  in  conduct.  In 
many  quarters  there  has  been  in  this  a  marked 
change.  The  Eitschlian  School,  for  example,  insists 
ujDon  experience  as  a  test  of  truth.  Even  those  who 
do  not  belong  to  this  school  and  who  have  a  horror 
of  its  teachings,  are  compelled  to  admit  that  its  test 
is  one  which  cannot  be  safely  set  aside.  If,  in  many 
instances  confirmation  still  serves  as  an  introduction 
to  society,  or  as  marking  the  arrival  at  an  age  when 
the  person  can  be  left  to  himself,  pastors  are  seeking 
to  make  it  a  public,   a   conscientious,   an   intelligent 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  301 

confession  of  saving  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  the 
beginning  of  an  active  Christian  life. 

Nor  has  Germany  been  wholly  insensible  to  the 
spiritual  influences  which  have  powerfully  affected 
England  and  America  during  the  last  thirty  years. 
The  visits  and  souhstirring  words  of  Pearsall  Smith 
have  touched  some  hearts.  Averse  by  nature  to  any- 
thing that  savors  of  fanaticism,  and  therefore  hostile 
to  revivals  in  the  English  sense  of  the  term,  the  fresh- 
ness with  which  old  truth  has  been  presented  by 
evangelists  from  across  the  channel,  has  contributed 
in  no  small  degree  to  the  spiritual  fervor  which 
so  frequently  exibits  itself  in  Germany  to-day.  Cer- 
tain Christian  institutions  have  been  received  directly 
from  abroad.  Mr.  Woodruff  of  Brooklyn,  introduced 
Sunday-schools  into  the  country,  and  taught  the  peo- 
ple how  to  make  use  of  them.  Through  Von  Bodel- 
schwingh,  so  well  known  by  reason  of  his  benevolent 
enterprises  at  Bielefeld,  German  Christians  have  be- 
come acquainted  with  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  and,  in  a  modified  form,  are  giving  it  an 
important  iDlace  in  the  machinery  of  their  Church 
work.  Drummond  is  read  in  Germany  with  as 
much  pleasure  as  in  Great  Britain,  even  if  less  widely. 
In  common  with  his  brother  in  the  United  States,  the 
spiritually = minded  pastor  mourns  over  the  lack  of 
vitality  in  the  Church  as  a  whole,  and  over  his  own 
Church  in  particular.  He  sees  the  evils  of  the  times 
and  strives  to  remove  them.  He  rebukes  a  tendency 
to  a  laxity  in  religious  belief  which  leaves  nothing 
positive  upon  which  to  stand.  He  would  have  men  of 
positive  views  in  the  theological  chairs  of  the  Univer- 
sities, organize  and  establish  Seminaries  in  which  men 


302  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

of  pure  evangelical  faith  shall  teach  candidates  for 
the  ministry.  Even  the  so  called  liberal  minister, 
though  belonging  to  the  extreme  left,  would  ascribe 
X)iety  to  no  one  who  does  not  love  God  supremely  and 
his  neighbor  as  himself.  That  is,  liberalism  has  not 
diminished  the  sense  of  obligation  to  work  through  the 
channels  of  benevolence  which  the  Church  has 
opened,  or  to  preach  the  Gospel  on  which  her  foun- 
dations are  laid. 

With  a  brief  survey  of  the  actual  condition  of  the 
National  Churches  of  Germany,  as  furnished  in  late 
reports,  this  chapter  will  close. 

By  far  the  largest  and  most  aggressive  body  of 
Protestant  Evangelical  Christians  on  the  Continent  is 
the  Union  Evangelical  Church  of  Prussia.  She  is 
a  true  representative  of  Luther's  teaching  and  spir- 
it, a  careful  expounder  of  the  Bible  as  he  understood 
it,  a  lover  of  Christian  song,  and  a  wise  instructor 
in  Christian  doctrine  of  the  youth  of  the  nation. 
Judged  by  her  numbers,  the  ability  of  her  ministers, 
the  fame  of  her  scholars,  the  devotion  and  heroism 
of  her  missionaries,  the  wisdom  with  wdiich  she 
dispenses  benevolence  at  home,  she  is  a  worthy 
sister  of  the  Evangelical  Churches  of  Great 
Britain  and  America.  With  all  her  faults,  she  is 
still  true  to  her  noble  history.  Within  her  borders 
less  than  six  per  cent,  of  the  children  of  Protestant 
parents  remain  unbaptized.  Few  young  women  or 
young  men  are  indifferent  to  the  rite  of  confirma- 
tion, or  to  the  instruction  in  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church  which  precedes  it.  Not  many  marriages 
take  place  outside  the  Church,  although  these,  more 
frequently    than  in  previous  years,  are  solemnized 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  303 

by  the  civil  magistrate.     The  civil  form  of  marriage 
is  less  formal  and  less  costly.     New  parishes  are  estab- 
lished every  year:  in  1892,  eighty^four  were  formed. 
In  the  building  of  new  houses  of  worship,  and  in  the 
repairing  of  those  which  had  fallen  into  decay,  there 
has  been,  within  the  last  six  years,  surprising  activ- 
ity,  especially  in  cities  like    Berlin.     In    the    year 
1892,  5,766,577  persons    partook    of  the  sacrament. 
Though  this  is  not  convincing  evidence  that   every 
one  of  this  large  number  of  communicants  has  been 
born  again,  it  is  evidence  that  a  great  many  people  in 
Prussia    prize   the  sacraments  of   the   Church  very 
highly,  and  have  some  appreciation  of  their  worth. 
It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  nearly  all  pastors  re- 
quire communicants  to  meet  them  privately  for  spe- 
cial preparation  to  approach  the  Lord's  Table  on  the 
Sunday.     But  large  as  this  number  of  communicants 
is,  it  is  somewhat  less  than  half  the  Protestant  pop- 
ulation of  the  State.     The  relative  proportion  of  com- 
municants to   the   entire   population   differs   in    the 
various  Provinces  of  Prussia.     In  the  Ehine  Prov- 
inces, where  the  influence  of  the  Reformed  Church 
is  very  strong,  the   number  is   less   than   elsewhere. 
Church   collections   in   Prussia  for  benevolent  pur- 
poses in  1892  amounted  to   1,134,854  marks,  or  one 
quarter  of  that  number  of  dollars,  a  small  sum  for 
each  member  of  the  National  Church,  but  quite   a 
respectable  sum  considering  the  proportion  of  those 
who  actually   contribute.     Gifts   for   special  objects 
made  by  the  living  and  by  will,  amounted,  in  1892,  to 
2,231,330  marks,  thus  making  the  voluntary  gifts  of 
the  Church  nearly  400,000  marks  in   excess  of  the 
amount  furnished  by  the  Government  and  obtained  by 


304  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

taxation  for  the  support  of  the  National  Church  of 
Prussia.  This  is  not  a  record  of  which  to  be  ashamed. 

Like  the  church  of  Prussia,  the  National  Church 
of  Saxony  is  welhorganized  and  well=governed. 
This  Church  has  felt  the  influence  of  Pietism,  in 
Dresden  more  than  anywhere  else,  and  in  time  nat- 
urally came  under  the  influence  of  Rationalism. 
But  the  doctrines  of  Luther  finally  prevailed.  Such 
men  as  Luthardt,  Kohlschtitter,  Meier  and  Lober 
have  helped  to  stem  the  tide  of  unbelief.  Of 
the  children  born  of  Protestant  parents  in  1892, 
95.3  per  cent,  were  baptized.  Of  marriages  96.45 
per  cent,  were  solemnized  by  the  authorities  of  the 
Church.  Although  in  Leipzig,  only  23.5  per  cent, 
partook  of  the  sacrament  during  the  year,  the  average 
for  all  Saxony  was  48.85  per  cent.  Eight  new  par- 
ishes were  formed,  nineteen  permanent  positions  for 
pastors  were  secured,  eight  positions  for  assistant 
pastors,  six  new  Church  buildings  were  dedicated,and 
twenty  were  renewed.  The  Church  collections  were 
127,543  marks,  or,  wath  the  gifts  for  special  objects, 
397,543  marks. 

The  condition  of  the  Church  in  Hannover  resem- 
bles that  of  Saxony.  It  is  a  small  Church.  Yet,  in 
1892,  59.5  per  cent,  of  its  membership  partook  of 
the  sacrament.  Baptism  and  marriages  were  rela- 
tively the  same  as  in  Saxony.  During  the  six  years 
prior  to  1892  the  gifts  for  all  purposes  were  about 
200,000  marks  annually.  In  this  province  such  men 
as  Ludvig  Harms,  Petri  Mtinkel,  Niemann,  have 
left  behind  them  an  influence  for  good  which  will 
not  soon  cease  to  be  felt. 

In  Bavaria,  where  the  prevailing  religion  is  Roman 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  805 

Catholic,  the  spiritual  life  of  the  National  Protestant 
Church  has  been  vigorous.  It  is  an  interesting  fact 
that  during  recent  years  Romanism  has  made  its 
largest  gains  in  North  Germany,  while  the  largest 
gains  of  Protestantism  have  been  made  in  Southern 
Germany,  In  Bavaria  we  meet  the  names  of  such 
men  as  Harless,  Hofling,  Thomasius,  and  Hofmann. 
These  men  were  stars  of  the  first  magnitude.  Lohe, 
Wucheror,  and  others  have  impressed  a  strongly  Lu- 
theran character  on  the  Churches  of  this  Province, 
and  have  stimulated  them  to  earnest  Christian  ac- 
tivity, The  influence  of  the  Reformed  professor  and 
preacher,  Krafft,  has  been  felt  throughout  the  Lu- 
theran communion.  Of  Protestant  children  born  in 
Bavaria  in  1892,  99.54  per  cent,  were  baptized.  Of 
marriages,  98.92  per  cent,  received  the  sanction  of 
the  Church.  Of  mixed  marriages,  that  is,  where  one 
of  the  parties  is  a  Protestant  and  the  other  a  Cath- 
olic, 53.8  per  cent,  were  performed  by  Protestant 
ministers.  Gifts  of  benevolence  reached  the  sum  of 
1,180,078  marks,  or  an  average  of  ninety  pennies,  a 
little  less  than  twenty=three  cents,  for  every  nominal 
Protestant  in  Bavaria.  This  was  at  the  time  the  high- 
est average  reached  in  any  National  Protestant  Church 
in  the  Empire.  In  1894,  these  gifts  amounted  1,505, 
928  marks,  an  average  of  a  mark  and  a  quarter,  or 
about  thirty=one  cents  for  each  Protestant  in  Bavaria. 
Figures  taken  from  the  "Chronik"  of  the  Leipzig 
Christian  World  (No  6,  1896),  are  very  interesting. 
Of  38,754  children  born  of  Protestant  parents,  in 
1894,  38,582  were  baptized,  Thirty^five  children  who 
were  more  than  a  year  old  received  the  rite  of  bap- 
tism.  One  person,  born  in  1868,  was  also  baptized 


30G  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

Of  the  marriages  between  Protestants  more  than 
half  were  performed  by  a  Christian  minister;  8,049 
against  7,984  performed  by  a  civil  magistrate. 
Of  mixed  marriages,  more  than  half  received  tlio 
sanction  of  the  Protestant  Church.  Attendance  upon 
the  parochial  schools  was  slightly  below  the  average  of 
1893.  Of  234  persons  who  withdrew  from  the  National 
Church  during  1894,  181  became  Roman  Catholics, 
49  joined  some  religious  sect,  Baptist,  Methodist,  or 
Anglican,  6  went  to  Free  Religious  Societies,  1  be- 
came a  Jew,  while  10  joined  no  religious  organization. 
The  additions  to  the  National  Church  were  189, 77  from 
the  Roman  Catholic,  1  from  the  Old  Catholic  Com- 
munion, 19  from  sectarian  Churches,  and  16  from 
Jewish  bodies.  Not  less  than  68.5  per  cent,  of  the 
Protestant  population  partook  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

The  Church  of  the  Province  of  Wurttemberg,  mildly 
Lutheran,  is  pietistic  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word. 
Beck,  Kapff,  Gerock,  Burk,  Weitbrecht  and  Kiibel 
have  determined  the  character  of  the  Christian  life 
here.  Conventicles  have  been  favored,  and  special 
meetings  held  for  reading  and  explaining  the  Bible, 
and  for  private  edification.  Higher  Criticism  has  had 
less  influence  in  Wurttemberg  than  elsewhere.  Only 
58  children  of  Protestant  parents  failed  to  receive  the 
ordinance  of  baptism  during  the  year  1892.  Of  these, 
36  were  in  Stuttgart.  Only  198  couples  were  married 
outside  the  Church.  Gifts  for  benevolent  objects 
amounted  to  517,000  marks. 

The  Church  in  Baden  has  long  been  rent  by 
strife.  "Schenkel  against  Uhlmann"  has  been  the 
cry.  Although  the  tendencies  are  at  present  toward 
evangelical   forms  of  belief,   the  contest  is  by  no 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  307 

means  at  an  end.  The  influence  of  Rothe,  evan- 
gelical and  spiritually  minded  as  lie  was,  has 
helped  Schenkel  and  the  Protestantenverein,  or  the 
party  of  the  extreme  left.  Rothe  seemed  to  be 
willing  that  the  State  should  absorb  the  Church. 
In  Baden,  liberalism  has  been  extremely  intolerant. 
Outwardly,  the  conditions  of  the  Church  seem  prosper- 
ous. Even  "liberals"  take  a  deep  interest  in  the 
work  of  the  Inner  Mission  as  well  as  in  social  ques- 
tions. Not  less  than  98  per  cent,  of  the  children  of 
Protestant  parents  were  baptized  in  1892,  while  97.2 
per  cent,  of  the  marriages  took  place  in  the  Church. 
Of  mixed  marriages,  55. 8B  per  cent,  were  performed 
by  a  Protestant  pastor.  More  than  55  per  cent,  of  the 
constituency  of  the  Church  x3artook  of  the  sacrament. 
Gifts  for  benevolent  objects  averaged  seventy  pen- 
nies for  each  member  of  the  State  Church,  a  large 
average  considering  the  circumstances. 

In  the  Archdukedom  of  Hesse,  different  types  of 
belief  and  piety  prevail.  It  was  from  the  Church  in 
Hesse  that  Baur  and  Schlosser  came.  In  this  Duke- 
dom, careful  attention  is  paid  to  the  forms  of  relig- 
ion. In  1892,  every  child  but  one,  born  of  Protestant 
parents,  was  presented  for  baptism.  Of  the  children 
of  mixed  marriages,  52.21  per  cent,  were  baptized. 
In  Upper  Hesse,  129.23  per  cent,  of  those  nominally 
connected  with  the  Church  partook  of  the  sacrament. 
This  means  that  a  good  many  came  to  the  Table  more 
than  once  during  the  year.  In  what  is  known  as 
Rhine^Hesse,  73.74  per  cent,  came  to  the  Table,  and 
in  the  districts  bordering  on  Baden  54.91  per  cent. 
In  cities  where  Social  Democracy  has  large  influence, 
the  number  of  communicants  is  small.     In  Offenbach 


303  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

for  example,  the  numbers  are  12.53  per  cent.,  in  May- 
ence  25.93  per  cent.  The  total  benevolent  contribu- 
tions amount  to  249,294  marks.  Reports  from  the 
Church  in  Kur  Hesse,  of  which  Cassell  is  the  chief 
city,  are  more  encouraging  than  formerly.  Through 
the  influence  of  the  Consistory  at  Cassell,  disagree- 
ments have  been  removed,  and  a  new  impulse  has 
been  given  to  Christian  life  and  Christian  work.  For 
this,  much  is  due  to  the  wisdom  and  piety  of  such 
men  as  Zockler  and  Grau. 

One  can  hardly  say  that  the  condition  of  the  Schles- 
wig-Holstein  Church  is  satisfactory.  Doctrinally,  the 
Church  is  hyper^orthodox,  although  liberalism  of  an 
extreme  type  is  also  found.  In  some  places  strong 
tendencies  toward  Free  Church  Confessions  are  observ- 
able. Yet  in  certain  aspects  reports  are  encouraging, 
In  1893,  the  baptisms  embraced  93.98  per  cent,  of  the 
births,  and  94.23  per  cent,  of  the  marriages.  Still, 
although  a  Lutheran  country,  only  28  per  cent,  of 
those  connected  with  the  Church  partook  of  the 
communion,  a  lower  average  than  in  the  countries  on  the 
Rhine,  where  the  higher  standards  of  the  Reformed 
Churches  for  admission  to  the  communion  are  not 
without  effect  on  members  of  the  National  Church. 
Contributions,  notwithstanding  the  wealth  of  the 
province,  are  small,  reaching  in  1893  only  40,864 
marks,  or  not  quite  a  tenth  of  what  was  given  in  the 
same  year  in  the  Rhine  Provinces. 

The  Church  of  Mecklenberg,  on  which  Klieforth  is 
said  to  have  fixed  the  stamp  of  a  lifeless  orthodoxy, 
does  not  stand  in  very  close  relations  to  the  other 
Churches  of  the  Empire.  Earnest  pastors  complain 
of  the  attendance   at   Church,   and  gifts  are  small. 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  309 

Spiritually =minded  laymen  think  that  the  pastors  are 
not  in  such  sympathy  with  their  people  as  they  might 
be,  and  that  this  is  one  of  the  chief  reasons  why  the 
religious  conditions  are  not  more  favorable.  Still, 
even  here,  the  Inner  Mission  finds  faithful  supporters 
and  the  Saviour  many  outsiDoken  witnesses. 

It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  the  Church  would 
make  any  deep  impression  on  the  life  and  opinions  of 
the  entire  population  of  such  cities  as  Hamburg 
Oldenburg,  and  Bremen.  Yet  these  cities  contain 
some  of  the  most  earnest  Christians  in  Germany. 
The  liberality  and  aggressiveness  of  some  Churches 
in  Bremen  have  long  been  known.  But  the  tendency 
in  general  is  to  neglect  Church  ordinances,  and  to  set 
a  low  estimate  on  the  work  of  pastors.  In  Oldenburg 
the  gifts  for  benevolence  were  but  9,850  marks, 
while  in  Hamburg  only  73  per  cent,  of  the  children 
of  Protestant  parents  were  baptised,  and  16  per  cent, 
of  the  marriages  took  place  outside  the  Church. 

In  the  Dukedom  of  Anhalt,  and  in  the  Thuringian 
States,  conditions  are  somewhat  better.  In  Anhalt, 
in  1892,  baptisms  were  99.4  per  cent,  of  the  births, 
in  Schwartzburg,5Rudolphstadt,  99.84  per  cent.,  in 
Sachsen-Meiningen,  99.01  per  cent.  Marriages  in 
each  of  the  these  places  were  respectively  98.6  per 
cent.,  99.55  per  cent.,  and  100  per  cent.  The  number 
of  communicants  was  small,  being  30.87  per  cent.,  38.7 
per  cent.,  and  31.67  per  cent.,  of  the  Church  member- 
ship.    Of  gifts,  there  are  no  reports. 

Such  a  review  as  the  above  makes  it  plain  why  in 
many  quarters  there  should  be  a  complaint  of  a  lack 
of  pastors  who  are  wholly  devoted  to  their  work,  and 
who  are  preaching  the  doctrines  of  grace  with  ear- 


310  CHRTSTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

nestness  and  enthusiasm.  We  see,  too,  why  it  is  that  so 
few  laymen  devote  time  and  means  to  the  spread  of 
the  principles  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  They 
have  heard  nothing  from  the  pulpit  to  interest 
them  in  these  principles.  They  have  been  accustomed 
to  look  upon  the  Church  as  an  institution  designed 
for  the  benefit  of  pastors,  and  for  which  pastors  may 
justly  be  held  responsible.  But,  as  has  been  shown 
in  the  earlier  pages  of  this  chapter,  there  has  been 
a  great  change  both  in  the  spirit  of  pastors  and  in 
the  attitude  of  laymen  toward  Christian  work.  This 
change,  brought  about  in  part  through  the  new  prob- 
lems to  be  solved  and  the  new  duties  to  be  discharged, 
is  likely  to  be  still  more  marked  in  the  future. 
In  personal  work  connected  with  the  Inner  Mission, 
in  the  writing  of  books  and  articles  in  defense  of  Chris- 
tianity, gifted  and  earnest  laymen  are  finding  fields  of 
usefulness  of  whose  existence  they  had  not  even  sus- 
pected. Pastors  are  discovering  that  no  sermons  are  so 
interesting,  either  to  themselves  or  to  their  hearers,  as 
those  which  set  forth  the  simple  doctrines  of  grace  and 
which  strengthen  and  stimulate  faith  in  a  personal 
Saviour. 

The  consequences  of  unbelief,  especially  in  the 
form  of  Materialism,  are  showing  themselves  with  a 
distinctness  which  is  justly  felt  to  be  alarming. 
These  have  appeared  in  a  tendency  toward  brutality 
in  crime,  and  even  in  the  pleasures  which  the  uncul- 
tivated classes  of  society  seek.  The  reason  for  this 
lies  close  at  hand.  If  this  life  is  all,  if  there  is  no 
future,  if  man  is  nothing  but  matter,  there  need  be 
no  sense  of  responsibility,  no  thought  of  eternity,  no 
fear  of  a  judgment  to  come.    The  stronger  may  right- 


EFFORTS  TO  MEET  NEW  DANGERS  311 

fully  take  advantage  of  the  weak.  The  contest  for 
existence  may  be  conducted  according  to  the  laws  of 
selfishness.  Men  may  be  scholarly,  scientific,  famil- 
iar with  recent  discussions  in  political  economy  and 
natural  science,  and  still  remain  brutal  in  feeling, 
insensible  to  moral  obligation,  full  of  hate  toward  all 
who  in  any  way  thwart  their  purposes.  It  is  from 
unbelief  as  a  root  that  now,  as  in  the  days  of  the 
apostle,  the  sins  of  the  flesh  sirring. 

It  is  because  this  has  been  so  clearly  perceived 
that  a  revival  of  spiritual  earnestness  has  in  late 
years  made  itself  felt,  that  fresh  emj^hasis  has  been 
put  on  righteousness  as  an  essential  element  in  Chris- 
tian character,  that  the  Church  has  set  herself,  with  a 
determination  without  a  parallel  in  her  history,  to 
meet  and  withstand  the  positive  influence  of  unbelief 
and  the  withering  blight  which  has  followed  the 
merely  nominal  faith  of  so  many  of  her  members. 
Hence  the  efiPorts  to  counteract  the  false  assumptions 
of  infidelity,  misleading  conclusions  drawn  from  the 
study  of  natural  science,  palpable  errors  in  Christian 
doctrine,  hasty  interpretations  of  the  Scrijptures,  and 
general  neglect  of  the  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God. 
These  efforts  have  not  been  without  result.  The 
increased  attendance  at  Church  is  an  indication  that 
the  people  are  beginning  to  think  more  highly  of  her 
services  as  a  help  to  their  own  better  life  and  greater 
happiness.  They  are  perceiving  that  the  Church  is 
interested  in  them,  is  seeking  their  welfare  even  in 
this  life,  and  are  beginning  to  believe  that  for  a  life 
hereafter  there  are  provisions  and  promises  which 
they  will  do  well  to  consider.  The  success  of  these 
efforts  of  the  last  decade  is  encouraging  pastors  to  a 


313  CHRISTIAN  LIFE  IN  GERMANY 

study  of  other  means  for  reaching  the  people  than 
those  previously  employed,  and  to  a  self -forgetfulness 
in  their  own  personal  work  very  rare  fifty  years  ago. 

In  order  to  meet  the  dangers  which  are  threatening 
from  Roman  Catholic  aggressions  and  assumptions, 
and  to  prevent  the  drift  from  the  higher  circles  to  its 
communion,  an  Evangelical  Bund,  or  League,  has  been 
formed  which  meets  annually,  and  to  which  some  of 
the  most  distinguished  Protestants  in  the  Empire  are 
giving  approval  and  assistance.  One  of  its  main  ob- 
jects is  to  show  that  the  Christianity  which  Cathol- 
icism seeks  to  spread,  and  with  which  it  w^ould  have 
its  followers  content,  is  not  the  Christianity  of 
the  New  Testament,  the  Christianity  which  Luther 
preached,  the  Christianity  which  can  help  men  to  live 
as  they  ought  to  live  in  this  world,  and  which  will  fit 
them  for  the  world  to  come.  Nor  is  the  League  blind 
to  the  temporal  advantages  Catholics  are  seeking  to 
obtain  from  the  Government,  and  to  the  burdens  which, 
through  their  close  political  organization,  they  are 
constantly  bringing  upon  Protestants. 

During  the  annual  sessions  of  the  Social  Congress, 
to  which  reference  has  more  than  once  been  made, 
the  more  pressing  social  questions  of  the  day  are  dis- 
cussed in  a  Christian  spirit,  and  with  all  the  thor- 
oughness which  men  like  Wagner  and  Harnack  of 
Berlin,  and  pastors  such  as  Stoecker  can  give  them. 
But  those  who  see  the  needs  of  the  time  most  clearly, 
and  are  studying  them  most  thoroughly,  are  con- 
vinced that  the  Church  is  the  chief  agency  through 
which  the  people  are  to  be  reached,  and  through 
whose  influence  the  evils  which  at  present  afflict 
society,  are  to  be  removed.     It  is  for  this  reason  that 


Jefforts  to  meet  new  dangers  SU 

Sunday  Schools  are  prized,  and  are  increasing  in 
number,  that  Societies  for  Young  People  and  even  for 
Adults,  in  which  the  Bible  is  made  a  special  object  of 
study,  are  multiplying,  that  special  services  are 
arranged  for  children,  and  for  those  whose  duties  pre- 
vent their  attendance  at  the  regular  services  on  the 
Sabbath.  It  is  for  this  reason,  also,  that  in  some 
sections  of  Germany  evangelists  are  employed,  chiefly 
as  helpers  of  overworked  pastors,  and  that  where  it  is 
possible  parishes  too  large  for  one  man  to  look  after, 
are  divided,  or  additional  ministers  are  secured.  The 
era  of  Church  building,  over  which  so  many  in  Ger- 
many rejoice,  has  dawned  because  public  sentiment 
recognizes  the  fact  that  apart  from  the  Gospel,  noth- 
ing can  meet  the  wants  of  human  nature  or  solve  the 
problems  which  present  themselves  in  the  German 
Nation.  Many  of  those  who  have  the  ear  of  the 
people,  from  the  pulpit,  through  the  press  and  the 
professor's  chair,  are  urging  them  to  look  to  Christian 
teachers  for  moral  and  spiritual  guidance,  rather 
than  to  those  who  believe  only  in  philosophy,  or  in 
science,  to  search  the  Word  of  God  for  principles 
with  which  to  build  up  character  and  secure  happi- 
ness, rather  than  give  heed  to  the  assertions  of  men 
who  would  substitute  for  the  clear  and  simjjle  state- 
ments of  this  Divine  Word,  the  theories  of  a  new 
political  economy,  or  of  a  destructive  Social  Democra- 
cy. In  spite  of  the  opposition  of  outspoken  unbelief 
and  of  stolid  indifference,  true  religion  is  steadily 
regaining  its  power  with  the  masses,  is  winning  them 
back  to  the  Church,  to  a  sincere  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  Saviour  of  men,  and  is  thus  laying  the 
foundations  of  universal  contentment  and  perma- 
nent prosperity. 


INDEX. 


Abstinence,  total,  .  .  .  192 
Adolphus,  Gustavus,  death,  163 

Ambrose, 124: 

Andreas,  John  Valentine,     126 

Anglicans, 53 

Anton,  Count, 229 

Arbeitercolonien,  .  .  .  196 
Army,  service  in,  ...  24 
Association,  Y.  M.  C,  .  58 
Asylum,  Halle  Orphan,  .  86 
Auberlen,  Prof.,  ....  128 
Angsburg,  David  von,   .     .  294 

Augustine, 124 

Baptists 53 

Baird,  Robert,     ....     192 

Barmen,        95,  96 

Barth,  Christian  Gottlob,     132 

Basel, 92 

Basel,  Miss.  Soc.  sacrifices,  109 

Basil, 123 

Bastian,  Supt.,  ....  189 
Bauer,  Gen.  Supt.,  .  .  .  189 
Baur,  Ferdinand,  .  .  80,  256 
Bazaar,  Victoria,  .  .  .  149 
Bebel — Liebknecht  move- 
ment,    284 

Beck, 306 

Bernstorflf.  Count,  ...  53 
Bertheau,  Cornelius,  .  .  240 
Bismarck,  .  .  79,  117,  283 
Blumhardt,  C.  E.,      ...    92 


Bodelschwingh,  von,     104, 

167,  179,  197,  223,  255,  301 
B5hme,  Amanda,  .  .  .  134 
Boniface  Society,  Roman 

Catholic 165 

Borgia,  Caesar,  ....  275 
Bourse,  speculations  on,  . 

....       36,  272,  307 
Brantwein,    ...   31,  61.  192 

Braun, 58 

Brecklum, 102 

Brochelmann,  ....  148 
Brother  Houses,  list  of,     .    254 

Buddha, 274 

Buddhism, 275 

Bugenhagen, 126 

Buhl, 147 

Buhrmann, 257 

Bund,  Evangelical,  .  .  .  312 
Bunsen,  Charles  von,  .  .  49 
Cabinet,  Church  and  school 

represented  in,    .    .    .     41 

Campagna, 123 

Canstein,  Baron  von,  127,  202 
Catholics,  Roman,  number 

of,  ....  51,  52,  56 
Chalmers,  method  of,  .  216 
Caspari,  pastor,  .  .  .  297 
Catholics,  Old,  ....  53 
Charles,  the  Great,  .  .  .125 
Chrysostom, 123 


315 


.".16 


INDEX 


Church,  union  with  State,       22 
method    of   representa- 
tion,        22 

lack  of  buildings,       .     .     56 
work   of  Lutheran  and 

Cath.  Churches,       .     .     57 
Union  Evangelical,     .    .     78 
City  Missionary     Society, 

Berlin, 31 

Congress,  Social,  .  264,  286 
Conrad,  of  Marburg,  .  .  125 
Constantine,  presConstan- 

tine, 216 

Creche, Ill 

Criticism,  Higher,     .     .  83,  81 

Cyprian, 124 

Dame,  P., 102 

Darwinianism,  ....  290 
Deism,  in  England,  .     .     .  114 

Delitzsch, 78 

Dembowsky,  Dr.,       .     .     .  255 
Democrats,       Democracy, 
Social,  ...     30,  64, 
71,  220,  224,  260,  262, 
265,  266,  278,  282,  292,  307 

Diderot, 114 

Diestelkamp, 104 

Disseldorf,  Julius,  .  .  .  178 
Disselhoff,  Dr.  Julius,  .  .  231 
Decent,  privat,   ....      47 

Dorner, 78 

Dryander, 53 

Education,  Prussian  system,  41 

Egydy, 275 

Ehlers,  pastor,  ....  101 
Eichorn,  Minister,  .     .     .     106 

Elberfeld, 95 

Elizabeth,      Countess      of 

Thuringia,    ....     125 
Emperor,  head  of  Church,     22 


Emigration, 70 

Encyclopedists,  ....  114 
Endeavor,  Christian,   .     .      58 

England, 21 

Ephraem  Syrus,       .     .    .     123 

Eppendorf, 173 

Ernest,  Hans,  Baron  von 

Kottwitz,      ....     129 

Fabiola, 124 

Fabricius, 86 

Falk,  John, 128 

Fichte, 76,  115 

Fischer,  pastor,  ....  99 
Fliedner,  ....  106, 
116,  134,  136,  143,  148, 
150,  188,  199,  207,  226,  230 
Fliedner,  Fritz,  ....  167 
Foundlings'  Home,  .  .  .  142 
Francis  Assisi,  ....  126 
France,  influence  of,  in  1848,  79 
Francke,  81,  86,  87, 114, 118, 

119,  126,  131,  147,  202,  207 
Frederick  IV,  of  Denmark,  86 
Frederick,  Emperor,     .     .     51 

Fresius, 167 

Frioke,  pastor,      ....  255 

Froebel, 143 

Frommel, 58 

Games,  National,  ...  68 
George,  Director,  .  .  .  176 
Gerhardt,  Paul,  ....  238 
Gerlach,  Otto  von,  .     .    .     130 

Gerock, 306 

Germany — 

a  Christian  nation,  .  19,37 
a  military  camp,  ...  23 
social  distinctions  in,  .  .  25 
intellectual  ability,    .    .    26 

poverty  of, 27 

size  of,        78 


INDEX 


31? 


Germany — 

country     of     specialists 
and  of  authorities,       .     40 

Gesenius, 78 

Gobat,  Bishop,      .     .     .     .102 

Goethe, 77,  115 

Gossner,  Johannes,  98,  99,  131 

Gran, 308 

Granl,  Dr 97 

Grundemann, 109 

Guggenbuhl,  Dr.,       .     .     .  178 

Guericke, 110 

Gudert,  Dr.  H.,      ....     85 

Gundert, 109 

Gymnasium,  Gymnasia,    . 

20,  26,  36,  41,  42,  44,  45 
Hadring,  pastor,      .     .     .     189 

Hahn,  pastor, 265 

Harless, 305 

Harms,  Glaus,  ....  102 
Harms,  Egmont,  ....  101 
Harms,  Ludvig,  pastor, 

.    .    81,  100,  304 
Harms,  Theodor,     ...     100 

Harnack, 80,  312 

Hartmann,  Eduard  von,  72,  274 

Hase, 78 

Hauge,  Hans  Nielson,  .  128 
Hauy,  Valentine,  ....  135 

Hegel, 76,  115 

Hengstenberg,       ....     78 

Herder, 115 

Hermann, 80 

Hermannsburg,    .     .     100,  106 

Herrnhut, 87 

Hersbruck, 104 

Hess,  John, 126 

H5ffliag,  Prof.,  .  .  136,  305 
Hoffman,  William,  .  93,  305 
Hohne,  pastor,    ....     255 


House,  Rough,    .     71,  116,  135 

Hbuer, 192 

Idealism, 262 

India, 86,  87 

Ittameier,  pastor,  .  .  .  104 
Intemperance,  ....  60 
Institute,  Victoria,  Berlin,  51 
Janicke,  pastor,  Berlin,     .     92 

Jena, 76,  115 

Jerome, 124 

Jensen,  pastor,  .  102,  103,  725 

Jews, 53,  67 

Josenhaus, 93 

Julius,  Dr., 134 

Kaftan, 8o 

Kahnis, 78 

Kant,  ....  72,  76,  115 
Kapff,  Sixtus  Charles,  137,  306 
Karsch,  pastor,  ....  257 
Keeley  Cure,  ....  193 
Kempis,  Thomas  h.,  .  .  131 
Kiessling,  John  Tobias,  .  127 
Kindergartens,  .  .  .  43,  143 
Kirchenzeitang,  die,  .  .  78 
Klein,  John  William,  .     .     175 

Klieforth, 308 

Knudson,  pastor,  .  .  .  180 
Kobelt,  pastor,  ....  255 
Kohlschniitter,  ....  304 
Kottwitz,  Baron,       .     .     .  134 

Kraft,  Prof 136,  305 

Krippe,  die,     .     .     .      142,  143 

Krupp, 26,  272 

Kruse,  P., 296 

Kttbel,  • 306 

Law,  respect  for   ....     62 

Leipzig, 76,97 

Lessing, 77,115 

Libraries,  Peoples',  .  .  207 
LOber,       .......  304 


318 


INDEX 


L6he,  William,   136,178,256,305 

Lotteries, 62 

Losch,  Frau  Banker,   .     .     153 

LGcke,  Prof., 133 

Luthardt,  Prof.,  .     .     .     78,30i 

Luther,  Martin,    49,74,75,80,83, 

114,125,126 

Lutherans, 53 

Lutherans,  Old,     ....     53 

Lfitkens, 86 

Llitzen, 80,163 

Magazines,  compared  with 

Harper's  The  Century,  31 
Marriage,  Customs,  .  .  67,68 
Marthashof,  Berlin,  .       150,244 

Mast 167 

Materialism 71,262 

Mennonites, 53 

Methodists, 53 

Meier, 304 

Meyenroch,  Pastor,  .     .     .  160 
Michel,  Charles,  teacher,173,2o7 

Minna 228 

Minister,  Cultus,    .     .     .    22,41 
Missions,  City,     ....    210 
Mission,  die  aussere,  ...    83 
Mission,  die  innere,    79,85,111, 
117,118,121,128,133,139,145, 
146,163,177,178,183,209,223, 
254,285,296,310. 
Missionary  Societies,  Order 
of  formation,      .     .     . 

Moravian, 90,91 

Basel,       91 

Berlin   1 93,94 

Rhine  and  Westphalia,  95,96 
North  Dutch  (German)  or 

Bremer, 96 

Leipzig, 97 

GoBsner,  Berlin  II.     .     .     98 


Herrmansburg,    .     .     .     100 
Pilgrim  Mission,  .     .     .  101 

Jerusalem, 102 

Schleswig=Holstein,    .     .  102 
Die  Neukirche,     .    .     .     103 
Neuendettelsau,      .    .     .  103 
General  Evangelical  Mis- 
sionary Union,      .     .     103 
The  Society  for  Evangel- 
ical Lutheran   Missions 
in  East  Africa,       .     .     104 
The  Evangelical  Society 
for  Dutch  East  Africa, 
or  Berlin  III.      .     .     .104 
Dutch  China  Alliance,  .     104 
East    Friesian,     Kdnigs- 

burg, 105 

Central  of  Bavaria,  .     .     105 
Cameroons  Union,  Stutt- 
gart,      105 

Societies  of  women,  .     . 
Berlin,  for  education  of 

women  in  the  East,  .     105 

Kaiserswerth,  ....     106 

Moravians,  .     .     .     53,76,81,88 

Moravian  Missions,     .     .  90,91 

Mttnkel,  Petri,      ....   304 

Napoleon,       76 

Nasmith,  David,  ....   210 
Nathusius,  Philip    von,  .      255 

Neander, 130,134 

Nepomuck,  John  Edler  von 

Kurtz, 180 

New  England, 38 

Niebuhr, 77 

Niemann, 304 

Nietschmann,      ....     208 
Nightingale,  Florence,  .     .  213 

Nietzsche, 275 

Oberlin,  JohnFredreick,128,143 


INDEX 


3ia 


Officers  in  army  and  navy,  35 
Oe?er,  Rudolph,  ....     207 

Olympias, 124 

Oncken,  J.  G 146 

Oscar  I.  of  Sweden.  .  .  .  198 
Paradis,  Theresia  von,  .  175 
Pastor,  position,  authority,  49 
efforts  to  know  parish,  34,36 
Patriotism,     ....    63,119 

Paula, 124 

Pauline,  Princess,  .  .  .  140 
Paulsen,  pastor,     ....  257 

Periodicals, 39 

Pestalozzi,  John  Henry,128,157 
Phillips,  pastor,  .  .  .  255 
Philosophy,  Dr.  of,  .     .     .     47 

Philosophy, 72 

Pietist  Pietism,  76,81,114, 
118,120,126,304. 

Pilate, 275 

Pless,  Prince, 242 

Pldtzensee,  Prison  at,      .     198 

Pltitschau, 86 

Probst,  pastor,    ....     178 

Prostitution, 187 

Protestants,  number,  divi- 
sions,      52,53 

Protestantenverein,     .     .     307 

Ranke, 77 

Rappard, 256 

Rationalism  and  Ration- 
alists,    72,  75 

87,111,114,116,119,120, 
126,262,274,275,304. 
Rautenberg,  pastor,  .  134,146 
RealschGle,  .  .  42,45,46,57 
Reche,  von  der.  Count,  255,257 
Reichardt,  Gertrude,  .  .  229 
Reindel,  pastor,  ....  256 
Religion,  ethical,    ...       72 


Riis, 102 

Ritschl,     Ritschlian,    Rit- 

schlianism,     .     .  80,81,300 

R6the, 307 

Roth,  Rector, 136 

Salyer,  pastor,  ....  258 
Schaefifer,  .  .  .  119^295,296 
Schalenfeld,  Rosalie,     .    .    149 

Schelling, 76,80 

Schenkel, 306,807 

Schleswig=Holstein,  .  .  ,117 
Schepper,  Louise,    .     .  129,243 

Schiller, 77,151 

Schlitter,  pastor,  ....  25 
Schlosser,  G.     .     .     .      189,307 

Schmidt, 102 

Schnapps, 192 

Schools,  secular  classifica- 
tion,    .     .     .  41,42,43,44,45 
Daughter,  Higher  for  girls,  50 

Sunday, 58,113 

Schopenhauer,    .     .     .   274,275 

Schwartz, 86 

Seguin,  Dr 178 

Seminar, 47 

Seminary,  preacher's,    .     .     48 

Siemens, 26 

Sieveking,  Amalie,   .     .     .   131 
Smith,  Pearsall,    ....  301 
Social  Congress,  .     .     .     .    286 
Social  Democrats,  Democ- 
racy,   Socialism,    So- 
cialists,  .  30,31,32,33,57,71 

Spener 114,119,126 

Spittler,  C.  E 92 

Spittler,  Christian  Freder- 
ick,      138,256 

Stahel,  pastor,      ....    256 

Steinkopf,  E 92 

Stier,       .......     130 


820 


INDEX 


Stoecker,  Dr.  Adolph,     .     . 
31,58,135,211,212,278,281, 
312. 

Strauss 80,277 

Strikes, 69 

Studien  und  Kritiken,  die  78 
Storm,  Beata,  ....  126 
Stfirmer,  pastor,  ....  255 
Sunday,  use  of,  .     .     .     .  56,57 

Sweden, 40 

Tachel,  pastor,    ....    255 
Taylor,  Hudson,     .     ,     .       105 
Teacher,  examination,  sal- 
ary, etc., 44 

Theology,  Natural  and  Re- 
vealed,      74 

Tholuck, 77,129 

Thomasius, 305 

Tiesmeyer,  pastor,       .     .     146 

Tischendorf, 38 

Tract  Societies,       .  205   et  seq. 

Trankebar, 86,98 

Transon,  P 104 

Tflbingen, 80 

Uhlmann, 306 

University,     Universities, 

39,46,47,49,53,68,78,83. 
University  man,  advantage 

in  life, 40,55 

University  of  Ztirich,  .     .       51 

Urlsperger, 306 

Verein,  Gustav  Adolphus,     130 

Versmann, 102 

Victoria,  Queen, ....  250 
Vitzius,  nom  de  plume,  Jer 

Gotthelf, 207 

Volkenning, 110 

Volksschule,  .  .  .  41,42,43 
Volmarstein,  Count   Adel- 


bert, 130 

Voltaire,        114 

Vorwarts, 39 

Wadzeck,  Prof 143 

Wage  earner,  condition,  .      28 

Wagner 312 

Waldeck, 66 

War,  civil 38 

for  independence,    ...  76 

Peasants'  Thirty  Years  .     75 

Warneck,  Dr.  Gustav,85,106,109 

Weber,  Licentiate,     .     264,285 

Weitbrecht, 306 

Weizacker, 203 

Werner,  Dr.  Gustav,  .  138,182 
Westphalia,  28,29,66,95,96, 

110,130. 

Wichern,  79,116,130,133,134,135 

138,183,184,192,198,207.214 

215,291,238,246,292,294,295 

William  1 79,293 

William,     Frederick     III. 

77,115,192. 
William,  Frederick  IV,  .  79 
Wittenberg,  Day,  ...  116 
Dedication  Castle  Church  52 
Woodruff,  ....  146,301 
Wortlinsdorf  Brothers,     .     147 

Wurster, 296 

Wartemberg, 92 

Zahn,  Gottfried,  .  .  127,147 
Zegers,  pastor,  ....  250 
Zell,  Catharine,  ....  126 
Zeller,  Christian  Henry,128,256 

Zeune,   Prof 175 

Ziegenbalg, 86 

Zimmermann,  pastor,  .  .  164 
Zinzindorf,  Count,  .  .  87 
ZOckler, 306 


BW6056  .W72® 

Christian  life  in  Germany  as  seen  In  the 

Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  00059  2008 


